Snake found slithering under carpet on Japan Air plane before take-off

Snake found slithering under carpet on Japan Air plane before take-off Passengers waiting to begin their journey at Fukuoka Airport in Japan found their flight had been cancelled after a serpentine stowaway was discovered on board the aircraft Passengers had their flight cancelled after a 40cm snake was found slithering under the cabin carpet of a plane preparing for take-off. The reptile was discovered by a mechanic on the Japan Air Commuter aircraft at Fukuoka Airport, sparking a 24-hour hunt by a wildlife control expert. The flight had been due to leave the airport in Japan’s Kyushu region at 12.50pm for Kagoshima prefecture when the snake was found. Japan Air Commuter Co. cancelled the service following the discovery, while the aircraft was searched in case any other wildlife had made its way on board. The plane had arrived from Izumo Airport earlier that day. The airline said it remained unclear how the snake had been able to board the plane, adding that this was the first time on record that such a thing had happened. “As far as we can determine, there has never been a case of a snake getting into the cabin,” the airline said in a statement. “We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to passengers.” The snake was identified by an expert as a juvenile Japanese striped snake and later captured, according to Kyodo News. In 2024 passengers on an AirAsia flight spotted a snake suspended above them precariously on the overhead storage lockers. Passengers on the Thai AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket scrambled to get out from beneath the snake, fearful it would fall into their laps. The small snake - the species of which has not been confirmed - somehow made it onto the AirAsia Airbus A320 plane on 13 January. In a clip shared on social media a member of the cabin crew can be seen attempting to usher the lithe animal into a plastic water bottle. Once the plane landed at Phuket Airport a short while later, the aircraft was searched thoroughly. No other snakes were found. In February 2022, a spotted python made its way onto a domestic flight in Malaysia traveling from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Sabah. The plane ended up being re-routed to Kuching International Airport.