There Was A Snake On A Plane
No seriously, there really was.
As we’ve learned all too well (10-minute version) after years of watching The Simpsons predict things like Donald Trump’s presidency, life imitates art. And this week is no exception, but instead of it being The Simpsons, it’s everyone’s favourite plane horror film.
An AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau was forced to re-route last Thursday after several passengers noticed one — particularly slithery — passenger was travelling without a passport.
Yikes!
Snake on a plane!
Either an escaped pet from passenger carry on/luggage or possibly climbed its way into the aircraft from the ground.Air Asia Airbus A320-200,Kuala Lumpur to Tawau.
This dude happily stayed inside the illuminated area till plane was diverted? pic.twitter.com/jqopi3Ofvp— Hana Mohsin Khan | هناء (@girlpilot_) February 12, 2022
Yes. That is a living, breathing snake on a plane.
After the snake was spotted, the plane quickly re-routed to Kuching, where passengers were grounded, the plane was fumigated and the snake was — presumably — removed from the plane. Basically, AirAsia said “I’ve had it with these mother fucking snakes, on this mother fucking plane.”
It is unclear if the animal was a pet that had escaped its enclosure, or a wild snake that had somehow ended up onboard.
AirAsia confirmed the incident in a statement to CNN Travel.
“This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time,” said Liong Tien Ling, AirAsia’s chief safety officer, in a statement. “The Captain took the appropriate action and the flight safely departed for Tawau as soon as possible.”
While nobody ever expects to see a reptile on their flight, it’s actually a more common experience than you might think. In 2019, a python made a lengthy flight from Queensland to Glasgow, and way back in 2012, a cobra forced an Egypt Air flight to make an emergency landing.
If anything, let this serve as a reminder to always wear enclosed footwear when flying — mostly, because nobody wants to look at your thong tan, but also as an added layer of protection if a python decides to take the window seat.