Flight cancelled after snake found on plane in first of its kind incident

Samuel L. Jackson was right to be worried

According to Metro, the 40cm reptile was identified as a Japanese striped snake, a non-venomous species that can grow to between 80 and 200cm long.

It was discovered shortly before the aircraft was scheduled to depart for Kagoshima Prefecture on Monday afternoon.

The Japan Air Commuter aircraft had previously flown in from Izumo Airport, arriving earlier that day.

The discovery was made at approximately 1pm, and the flight was subsequently cancelled. 

Wildlife control specialists then spent the next 24 hours investigating the incident, although the snake’s point of entry remained a mystery.

Japan Airlines said it was unaware of any previous incident involving a snake entering an aircraft cabin.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to passengers,” the airline added in its statement.

Officials believe the animal originated in the wild. Despite the disruption, it posed no danger to passengers.

Uninvited reptiles have occasionally caused problems for airlines elsewhere, too. In 2019, a man travelling from Florida unknowingly transported a black racer snake in his rucksack. 

Another incident occurred in 2022, when passengers aboard an AirAsia flight spotted a pale yellow snake near the cabin’s lighting panel. The sighting led to the aircraft being diverted.