A tiny pet possum caused chaos after it was smuggled onboard a flight in China - then ran amok through the aisle.

Passengers screamed when they saw the nocturnal mammal inside the Aibus A320 operated by China Eastern Airlines on June 10.

Cabin crew ordered everyone off flight MU5599 from the Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai before it could depart for the city of Jinan.

The flight was delayed for over an hour by the search for the sugar glider, with images showing stewardesses peering under the seats trying to find the possum, also known as a sugar glider, because of its ability to sail between trees like a flying squirrel.

Once the China Eastern Airlines flight was cleared, they were able to track downthe possum in the cabin and place it in a cage.

In a statement, Shanghai International Airport Police said: 'On a flight between Shanghai and Jinan on 10 June 2024, a female passenger, Guo who was 34 years old violated the regulations and took a pet sugar glider on board the plane. It escaped into the cabin of the plane and was later recaptured.'

Video footage shows angry passengers confronting airline staff so that they can rejoin the flight after being moved back into the terminal building.

Others turned their ire on the smuggler, insisting that she apologised to everybody and also demanding that the police be called to arrest her.

Police declined to comment on what consequences the woman might face but confirmed she had been taken into administrative detention and that the flight had been stopped because of safety concerns.

The plane eventually landed at Ji'nan's YaoqiangAirport just over an hour after it was originally scheduled to land.