Snake on aircraft as animal noticed slithering below cabin carpet in chaos earlier than take-off
Japan Airlines has issued a statement after a flight was cancelled when a snake was spotted slithering beneath the carpet in the cabin of the aircraft on Monday
Japan Airlines experienced a real life snake on a plane(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Investigators are scratching their heads after a snake was spotted slithering under the carpet of a Japanese aircraft, sparking a full-scale mystery over its origin.
The stowaway’s impromptu boarding forced the complete cancellation of the flight and triggered a day-long search operation led by a wildlife control professional. The harmless reptile, which stretched 40cm in length, was spotted aboard a Japan Air Commuter vessel as flight attendants and crew readied the cabin for pushback.
Reporting from Kyodo News notes that a mechanic stationed at Fukuoka airport first caught sight of the serpent beneath the airplane’s floor carpet close to 1pm on Monday.
The snake was found on a plane at Fukuoka Airport(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
That specific service was scheduled to depart for the Kagoshima prefecture around that hour, having previously touched down from Izumo airport earlier the same day.
Authorities remain baffled as to how the animal managed to infiltrate the passenger area, noting that such occurrences are entirely non-existent.
Japan Airlines said in a statement: “As far as we can determine, there has never been a case of a snake getting into the cabin. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to passengers.”
This incident echoes a similar scare back in June, when a mildly venomous serpent broke loose mid-flight on a crowded aircraft travelling from Mexico toward the UK.
The mock viper slithered around the interior during the overnight trip, remaining hidden until a terrified cleaner stumbled upon the creature post-landing at Gatwick Airport.
Following that sighting, aerospace engineers and wildlife specialists launched a fruitless search across the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in a failed bid to track it down.
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