Live snake found on plane after flight cancelled in south-western Japan

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The snake was identified by an expert as a juvenile Japanese striped snake.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: ISE-SHIMA NATIONAL PARK

TOKYO – A small creature spotted aboard an airplane that caused its flight cancellation on Oct 19 in south-western Japan turned out to be a non-venomous Japanese snake, the affected airline operator said.

Japan Air Commuter (JAC), a group company of Japan Airlines, said on Oct 20 that the snake, measuring about 40cm in length, was found by a mechanic under the carpet in the aircraft at Fukuoka Airport at around 1pm local time.

It was identified by an expert as a juvenile Japanese striped snake and later captured, according to JAC. The airline said the point of entry is unknown, adding that it was the first time to have experienced such an incident.

The plane arrived from Izumo Airport in Shimane prefecture on Oct 19 and was initially scheduled to depart at 12.50pm local time from Fukuoka the same day. A small animal was spotted when the plane was preparing for departure and JAC cancelled the flight for nearby Kagoshima prefecture. KYODO NEWS