A Virgin Australia flight was delayed for nearly two hours after a green tree snake was discovered in the cargo hold of the aircraft, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Discovery During Boarding
The incident occurred on Tuesday at Melbourne Airport as passengers were boarding Flight VA337 to Brisbane. Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called in after the reptile was found in the aircraft’s lower compartment.
The snake, later identified as a harmless 60-centimeter green tree snake, was initially believed to be venomous due to limited visibility. “It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realized that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point, it looked very dangerous to me,” Pelley said to Associated Press.
Narrow Escape from Full Evacuation
The snake was partially hidden behind a panel and could have slipped deeper into the aircraft. Pelley warned airline staff and an engineer that a full evacuation would be required if the snake disappeared into the plane’s structure.
“I said to them if I don’t get this in one shot, it’s going to sneak through the panels and you’re going to have to evacuate the plane because at that stage I did not know what kind of snake it was,” he said. “But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,” as reported by AP.
Pelley noted that had he failed, engineers might still be disassembling the Boeing 737 in search of the snake.
Flight Delay and Quarantine Measures
Pelley said he took 30 minutes to reach the airport and faced additional delays at security before accessing the aircraft. AP reported that a Virgin Australia spokesperson confirmed that the flight was delayed by approximately two hours.
The snake is believed to have boarded the aircraft inside a passenger’s luggage during the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.
Quarantine rules prevent the animal from being released back into the wild. Now in the care of a Melbourne veterinarian, the protected species will be rehomed with a licensed snake keeper.
(With inputs from AP)
Discovery During Boarding
The incident occurred on Tuesday at Melbourne Airport as passengers were boarding Flight VA337 to Brisbane. Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called in after the reptile was found in the aircraft’s lower compartment.
The snake, later identified as a harmless 60-centimeter green tree snake, was initially believed to be venomous due to limited visibility. “It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realized that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point, it looked very dangerous to me,” Pelley said to Associated Press.
Narrow Escape from Full Evacuation
The snake was partially hidden behind a panel and could have slipped deeper into the aircraft. Pelley warned airline staff and an engineer that a full evacuation would be required if the snake disappeared into the plane’s structure.
“I said to them if I don’t get this in one shot, it’s going to sneak through the panels and you’re going to have to evacuate the plane because at that stage I did not know what kind of snake it was,” he said. “But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,” as reported by AP.
Pelley noted that had he failed, engineers might still be disassembling the Boeing 737 in search of the snake.
Flight Delay and Quarantine Measures
Pelley said he took 30 minutes to reach the airport and faced additional delays at security before accessing the aircraft. AP reported that a Virgin Australia spokesperson confirmed that the flight was delayed by approximately two hours.
The snake is believed to have boarded the aircraft inside a passenger’s luggage during the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.
Quarantine rules prevent the animal from being released back into the wild. Now in the care of a Melbourne veterinarian, the protected species will be rehomed with a licensed snake keeper.
(With inputs from AP)
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