A KITTEN has flown from Athens to Zurich hidden in the landing gear compartment of an Airbus.

The animal was reportedly detected after landing on Wednesday and had to be cared for by a veterinarian.

It survived the trip with very little oxygen and freezing temperatures, a Swiss airline spokeswoman told Swiss news agency SDA.

The stray kitten caused a two-hour delay before the flight took off from Athens.

Ground staff saw it roaming around the aeroplane and launched a search, fearing it had climbed aboard.

The pilot, however, decided to take off anyway after the animal could not be found.

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Originally published as Kitten flies across Europe in wheel well