Snake On A Plane Interrupts Emirates Flight To Dubai

A snake on a plane prompted United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier Emirates Airline to cancel one of its flights from Muscat, in neighbouring Oman, to Dubai on Sunday, UAE daily Gulf News reported on Monday.

The serpent was found before Sunday’s flight from Dubai International, the airline said in a statement, adding that the aircraft “EK0863” was returned to service after being thoroughly searched.

A spokesperson for the airline – as quoted by Dubai-based media – said the snake was found before passengers boarded the plane.

The spokesperson said Emirates apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience caused.

The aircraft re-entered service after the snake was removed, the airline said.

Wild animals do appear on passenger planes from time to time, sometimes even in the cabins.

In May last year, two tarantulas that probably escaped from a passenger’s luggage caused panic on an Air Transat flight from Punta Cana, in the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, to Montreal, Canada, The Guardian reported.

No passenger was hurt in the incident. Both spiders were later caught, one during the flight and the other after the plane landed.

Also in November 2016, some passengers on a Mexico domestic flight were panicked by the appearance of a metre-long snake which dropped from the overhead compartments.