‘Dangerous’ Snake on a Plane Forces Flight Delay (Video)

An Australian flight was grounded for nearly two hours on Tuesday after airport workers discovered an unexpected – and very unwelcome – stowaway slithering in the cargo hold.

Virgin Australia flight VA337, scheduled to depart Melbourne for Brisbane at 4:10 p.m., was forced to delay takeoff when a green tree snake was spotted wriggling among passengers’ luggage.

The reptile was discovered just minutes before takeoff, when sharp-eyed ground crew noticed something moving inside the cargo hold. Cabin staff quickly slammed the hatch shut to trap the snake inside and made an emergency call that sounded straight out of a Hollywood thriller.

“Virgin called me and said, ‘There’s a snake on a plane – can you come now?’” said professional reptile remover Mark Pelley, who goes by the nickname The Snake Hunter. “I dropped everything and raced to the airport.”

Slither Causes Soaring Chaos

Pelley, who has years of experience wrangling everything from deadly brown snakes to rooftop pythons, said this was a first. “I’ve cleared snakes off runways and from airport buildings before, but never boarded a plane to do it,” he told reporters.

It took him about 30 minutes to reach the airport, but security screening slowed him down further — adding to the agony for already-boarded passengers stuck on the tarmac in the afternoon heat.

“Security took another 15 minutes. By the time I got there, the snake could’ve gone anywhere in that cargo area,” he explained. “I only had one shot. If it got behind the panels, we would’ve had a serious problem.”

Pelley acted fast. Within 30 seconds of entering the hold, he spotted the elusive reptile and snagged it by the tail. “It hadn’t gotten far. I was lucky.”

No Venom, No Panic – But Major Delay

The culprit turned out to be a green tree snake, a non-venomous but speedy species native to Queensland — coincidentally, where the plane had flown in from earlier that day.

“It probably crawled into someone’s suitcase back in Queensland and hitched a ride,” Pelley said. “It happens more often than you’d think — snakes love hiding in warm, dark places.”

Though the snake was harmless, the airline wasn’t taking any chances.

Virgin Australia grounded the flight until the all-clear was given. VA337 finally departed around 6:23 p.m., arriving in Brisbane just after 8:30 p.m.

Snake to Be Set Free, Passengers Just Glad to Land

The green tree snake is now in the custody of environmental authorities and will likely be released back into the wild.

Despite the scare, Pelley praised Virgin Australia for its rapid response and caution. “They handled it professionally,” he said. “No passengers were ever in danger.”

But for the passengers stuck on the ground, it was anything but a routine delay.

“You expect turbulence, not a snake,” one flyer posted online. “Next time, I’m double-checking my luggage — and my seat.”

This wasn’t Pelley’s wildest airport job, either. “Once, I had to drive my car onto the tarmac to remove a brown snake. They delayed the whole runway just for me.”

Hollywood might have Snakes on a Plane, but Australia? They’re living it — and apparently, surviving it with a smile and a story.