Passengers onboard an AirAsia aircraft from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau recently witnessed a snake slithering through a translucent light panel above their heads in a rare incidence of snakes on a plane.
The decision was made to reroute the flight to the nearest airport as soon as the Captain became aware of the stowaway, around midway through the two-and-a-half-hour journey.
The occurrence was defined by AirAsia as “unusual,” yet it might happen to any airline. Since the snake was seen on Thursday, the Airbus A320 has stayed on the ground.
Engineers will have to assess whether any more reptiles managed to crawl on and if any harm was done, particularly to electrical equipment, in addition to rescuing the snake.
FLIGHT KL – TAWAU ADA ULAR. EMERGENCY LANDING DEKAT AIRPORT KUCHING
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— Travel Jimat (@TravelJimat) February 11, 2022
“The captain took the appropriate action, and the flight will depart for Tawau as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for AirAsia said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our guests and crew are always our top priority. At no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk.”
The Transportation Screening Administration (TSA) discovered a 15-inch ring-necked snake slithering around in a tray at a Newark airport security checkpoint in August 2019.
The snake was apprehended before it could board the plane.
However, on a Ravn Alaska trip from Aniak to Anchorage in 2017, a flight attendant had to grab a snake that was slithering about the cabin.
She slipped the snake into a carrying bag gently, and the flight resumed without incident.
The snake was apparently carried onto the plane by a passenger without anyone knowing, but it managed to get away from its owner.
A 10-foot python was videoed hanging to the side of a Qantas airline flying between Cairns and Port Moresby several years ago. Experts believe the snake was concealed in the aircraft’s landing gear and was not discovered before takeoff.
Photo cover via Youtube Video: Harian Semasa
