The animal shredded chairs on the plane and was discovered sunning himself in the cockpit.
By World Israel News Staff
A feline intruder wreaked havoc on a El Al plane after sneaking into the cockpit of the parked aircraft.
Workers at Ben Gurion Airport discovered the damage when they happened upon the cat sunbathing on the plane’s dashboard. The cat made himself at home in the cockpit of the El Al 737, which had not flown since January 24, Ynet reported, ostensibly due to corona restrictions on travel.
The plane had last traveled to Dubai.
The animal shredded “rubber and plastic furniture and left a lot of damage,” Ynet added.
Stray cats are a common sight in Israel in large cities and small towns alike. Residents of Jerusalem frequently leave cat food on sidewalks for the creatures, who also can be frequently spotted rummaging through garbage cans and dumpsters and begging at eateries with outdoor seating.
This is not the first time a cat has been discovered on an El Al plane.
In November, an Israeli aircraft was stuck in Hong Kong when the plane crew discovered “traces of a cat after landing,” Ynet reported. That feline was never caught.
In 2017 and 2004, cats also went loose on El Al planes and took hours to capture.