This is a moment a Chinese flight descends into chaos when a hamster is spotted scurrying down the aisle.

The incident took place on a Hainan Airlines flight heading out from Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport earlier this month.

In a statement obtained by Newsflash, officials confirmed that the incident had taken place and involved a flight to Dalian, which is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, in the People’s Republic of China.

Footage of the incident shows people peering down the aisle, with a stewardess also looking at the floor, before the light-coloured hamster comes into view and then disappears under one of the seats.

A man grinning behind his face mask then looks backwards at the others as the stewardess bends down and peers under the seat to see if she can find the escaped rodent.

The statement by the company said: “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers on the Hainan Airlines HU7638 Zhengzhou-Dalian.

“After an investigation into this incident, it was found that the hamster passenger was carried onto the plane without permission, and our company has reported the matter and co-operated with the relevant authorities to carry out an investigation.”