MONTREAL/PARIS May 30 (Reuters) - A family of raccoons

recently broke into an Airbus factory in Canada, adding

an unusual headache to the planemaker's more familiar troubles

with parts shortages and supply chain snags.

Five of the baby mammals were found inside the plant near

Montreal, which produces A220 airliners, sources told Reuters,

after their mother was spotted climbing the landing gear of a

jet being produced for a European airline.

"A guy came face to face with the raccoon, after having

entered the plane," a factory worker said.

A second source said damage included urine and chewed wires.

Workers on the overstretched assembly line had to be pulled

off normal jobs to undertake the time-consuming task of

quarantining the first jet and inspecting for damage from the

furry intruders, which are known for foraging in trash cans for

food.

Airbus confirmed the discovery of a family of raccoons on

one plane but declined to say whether they had further delayed

production or caused any damage.

"The aircraft is pursuing its assembly process," a

spokesperson said, adding measures had been put in place to

ensure safety and quality.

While the incident is only a temporary headache, it comes as

Airbus is scrambling to speed up production, having warned

airlines that it faces another three years of delivery delays as

it works through a backlog of supply-chain problems.

Recent snags include missing engines, late arrivals of

components and delayed interiors, Airbus has said. But rarely

have its contingency plans had to deal with stray omnivores at

the rural plant.

"We had to open everything back up to inspect," explained the

second source.

Airbus said the animals had been removed to a safe location.