A stowaway snake found on board a Tui aircraft went missing following a flight from Mexico to London.
The reptile was discovered by an airline staff member after passengers on the flight from Cancun, Mexico, to London Gatwick had disembarked on 5 June.
A Tui spokesperson confirmed that the snake had been discovered by an aircraft cleaner, but said that the reptile was not venomous.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was temporarily grounded with traps set in an unsuccessful attempt to catch the snake.
None of the passengers on board reported spotting the snake during the over nine-hour journey to London.
The call was made to resume aircraft operations following expert advice that it was likely the snake had left the plane.
A source told The Sun: “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.”
It’s not the first time a snake has been spotted on an aircraft.
Last summer, an Australian domestic flight was grounded for two hours after a snake was discovered stowed away in the aircraft’s cargo hold.
Passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport, bound for Brisbane, when the reptile was found. Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to the scene to remove the unexpected passenger.
The snake was identified as a harmless 60cm green tree snake. However, Mr Pelley stated that he initially believed it could be venomous due to the darkened conditions of the hold when he approached it. The incident led to a significant delay for travellers before the flight was eventually cleared for departure.
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