A Qantas Boeing 767 was grounded in Sydney after five baby rats were found in an onboard medical cupboard.
Passengers were 15 minutes from boarding the Tuesday afternoon Sydney-to-Brisbane flight when the crew began their routine inspection.
A Qantas spokeswoman says the baby rats were found in a cupboard containing the defibrillator kit.
She says the rats were removed and killed, and the aircraft was taken out of service for 36 hours.
Qantas says it is confident no adult rats were on the plane, which was later inspected by Qantas ground staff.
The spokeswoman says it is the first time in recent history such animals have been found onboard a Qantas plane.
But the Transport Workers Union's Scott Connolly says that is not true.
"It's not an isolated occasion. Our members working out there report that they've increasingly reported concerns about hygiene, sanitation, and this isn't the first occasion that they've reported rodents on aircraft and around their work space," he said.
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