The snake, which was on board a busy Tui flight from Cancun to London, was discovered by a cleaner after the aircraft landed at Gatwick on June 5. Before the reptile could be removed, it slithered off and remained at large.
Smuggled on in Cancun
It is thought the snake, thought to be a mock viper, was smuggled on board in Cancun. None of the 345 passengers travelling on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner noticed the uninvited guest while the aircraft was in flight.
A source, quoted by The Sun, said:
“It beggars belief that a passenger brought the mock viper on board. It’s not known what damage the snake could do to the mechanics of the plane. The sight of the snake almost gave the airline cleaners a heart attack […] But by the time they had raised the alarm the animal had disappeared. If passengers had seen the snake at 30,000ft there would have been blind panic and pandemonium on board.”
The aircraft has remained grounded while engineers and animal experts tried to find the snake. At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the animal has been found.
The airline commented that the search for the reptile was like “trying to find a needle in a haystack”.
More Uninvited Passengers
This incident is not the first time a critter found itself on board a commercial flight. In 2021, on another flight originating in Mexico, passengers found a tarantula in the cabin. Last year, a Maine Coon called Mittens made three flights between New Zealand and Australia in 24 hours after her cage was left in the Air New Zealand aircraft’s cargo hold.
Most major commercial airlines prohibit reptiles from travelling in the passenger cabin, with the exception of a few European airlines (Vueling and Iberia being two examples), which do allow small turtles. Generally, to travel, reptiles must be checked in as baggage or specialised air cargo.
Have you ever encountered an unwelcome guest while travelling? Share your experiences in the comment section below.
