Passengers on a Thai AirAsia flight from Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport (BKK) to Phuket International Airport (HKT) were in hiss-terics after a live snake was found inside the Airbus A320 aircraft.
The slithering stowaway was spotted in one of the overhead compartments. The moment was captured on video by one of the flight passengers and was uploaded to the TikTok account @wannabnailssalon.
The video shows one of the cabin crew attempting to contain the snake using an empty water bottle. However, the snake was not enticed into the bottle and another video clip shows the cabin crew trying to capture the creature in a bin liner.
The method proved successful and the snake was contained until the flight landed in Phuket.
AirAsia confirmed the incident to CNN, stating that the snake was found onboard flight FD3015 which departed Bangkok on January 13, 2024. It is not known how the snake managed to sneak onto the flight. None of the passengers also acknowledged or admitted to carrying the snake onboard.
Upon landing, airport safety officers from Phuket sweeped the aircraft to check if other serpents or creatures were onboard, but none were found.
Other creatures flying high
This is not the first incident where a snake has been found on an AirAsia flight. In February 2022, a snake was found on a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Tawau Airport (TWU) in Sabah.
In this instance, the slithery stowaway was found illuminated inside a light fixture and the flight was forced to divert to Kuching International Airport (KCH) where the animal was removed.
Various critters and wildlife have been found on flights throughout the years.
In October 2023, an otter and a rat were found scurrying around the cabin on a VietJet flight from Bangkok to Taiwan. A passenger was found guilty of smuggling wildlife in her suitcase, which contained 28 live turtles, one snake, one marmot, two otters and two other rodents of unknown species.
In July 2023, crew from Cathay Pacific were found scrambling to contain a bird that managed to get inside the cabin on a flight from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM).