A cockroach that managed to sneak into a plane and stay alive in the window for almost three hours has become an internet sensation. The insect was spotted by a female passenger who was flying from Ningbo to Xishuangbanna in China on Wednesday.
A flying roach
The passenger, who was identified by her surname Guo, said she noticed a large cockroach enjoying the view from the window beside her seat. She took photos and videos of the bug, which was trapped between the two panes of glass, and posted them on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China.
Guo told Jimu News, a local outlet, that she thought the cockroach would only hang on for a few minutes and then fly away. That’s why she didn’t bother to inform the flight attendants. She also said she couldn’t tell if the roach was on the outside or inside of the window.
“I didn’t expect it to still be there after flying [1,864 miles]. But I couldn’t tell if it’s outside the window or in the window’s inner layer,” Guo said. “It was very entertaining. I watched it for the whole flight.”
A viral sensation
Guo’s posts quickly went viral on Weibo, attracting millions of views and comments from amused netizens. Some praised the cockroach for its resilience and endurance, while others joked about its ticket and destination.
“They can even survive above 10,000 meters [32,808 feet]?” one user commented with a crying emoji. “As expected of the strong roach,” another wrote.
“Check to see if it has a ticket,” one user suggested. “Maybe it’s going to Xishuangbanna for vacation,” another speculated.
Some users also expressed disgust and fear of the insect, saying they would scream or faint if they saw it on their flight.
A mystery unsolved
It is unclear how the cockroach got into the plane and how it managed to survive the high-altitude flight. According to experts, cockroaches can withstand extreme temperatures and radiation, but they need oxygen to breathe.
Some possible explanations are that the cockroach entered the plane during boarding or cleaning, or that it was already inside the window when the plane was manufactured. It could also be that there was enough air in the gap between the window panes for the roach to breathe.
The airline has not commented on the incident or whether it has taken any measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.
