Footage of a snake stowaway on an AirAsia flight went viral on social media after the plane’s pilots had to make an emergency landing.
A shocking video shows a snake on a plane crawling along the ceiling – forcing the pilot to carry out an emergency landing.
The airline said the flight, which was heading to the city of Tawau, was diverted to Kuching after the snake was spotted on the plane.
In the clip, filmed on a passenger’s phone on the AirAsia flight from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the snake appears to be lurking inside a light fitting.
Despite the unexpected appearance of the scaly stowaway, the flight attendant making the announcement seems calm about the incident that occurred on the evening of Thursday, February 10.
AirAsia safety officer Captain Liong Tien Ling said the airline is “aware of an incident on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on Thursday”.
He said: “As soon as the captain was aware, he made the decision to divert the aircraft to Kuching as a precautionary measure to fumigate the aircraft.”
The official added: “This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time. The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our top priority. At no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk.”
It is unknown if the reptile was wild or belonged to one of the passengers and AirAsia said its customers traveled onwards to Tawau on another flight.
