HANGZHOU, Feb. 26  -- An airplane was forced to return to its port of origin after a rat was found to have hitched a ride, and was scuttling about the cabin, Loong Air confirmed on Friday.

The GJ8823 plane left Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, at 7:07 a.m. and was headed for Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, before the rat was discovered.

The airliner confirmed it was not a domesticated pet and they were looking into how it got on the plane.

Rats are infamous for chewing up electric wire, a huge safety issue on an airplane as they could sabotage the flight control system.

They could have gotten into the plane by following catering vans and other cargoes, sources said.

Airline employees fumigated and disinfected the plane, the airliner said.

Loong Air is a budget airline registered in Hangzhou. It plies more than 50 domestic routes in the country.