18 January 2024 , 11:35
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A snake slithered above passengers' heads as they sat on a plane in a terrifying incident one person said had given them a new phobia.
Passengers on a Thai AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket looked up to discover the winding reptile suspended above them precariously on the overhead storage lockers. Some rushed to get out from beneath the snake, fearful it would fall into their laps.
Others whipped out their phones to film the reptile. A TikTok video of the incident, shared by @wannabnailssalon, has been seen more than 3.4 million views since it was posted.
The small snake - the species of which has not been confirmed - somehow made it onto the AirAsia Airbus A320 plane on 13 January. In one clip a member of the cabin crew can be seen attempting to usher the lithe animal into a plastic water bottle, which seemed an ambitious task.
It was instead used to sweep the snake into a rubbish bag. It is not clear what happened to the snake after that or how it got onto the plane in the first place. Once the plane landed at Phuket Airport a short while later, the aircraft was searched thoroughly. No other snakes were found.
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It is not the first time that a snake was found onboard a plane. In February 2022, a spotted python made its way onto a domestic flight in Malaysia traveling from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Sabah. The plane ended up being re-routed to Kuching International Airport.
Phol Poompuang, head of corporate safety of AirAsia Thailand, said the latest snake spotting was still "a very rare incident". In a statement he added: "Flight attendants were notified before landing in Phuket after a passenger noticed a small snake in the overhead luggage compartment. AirAsia crew were well trained to handle an occurrence of this nature and relocated passengers from the area as a precautionary measure."
"As per standard procedure for an incident of this nature, the aircraft underwent a deep clean and fumigation before resuming operations. The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our top priority and at no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk."
The video seems to have reminded most people of the 2006 action thriller Snakes on a Plane, in which Samuel L Jackson finds himself on a plane alongside a lot of snakes. While the comparisons are clear, the snake on the AirAsia flight is far smaller and less dangerous looking than the venomous beasts L Jackson has to contend with.
For others, the idea of being in such close proximity to the legless critter was no laughing matter. One TikTok user simply wrote: "New fear unlocked."