TOKYO: A small creature found aboard an aircraft that led to the cancellation of its flight on Oct 19 in south-western Japan turned out to be a non-venomous Japanese snake, the airline operator said.
Japan Air Commuter (JAC), a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, said on Oct 20 that a mechanic found the snake, about 40cm long, under the carpet in the aircraft at Fukuoka Airport 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 was unknown and added that it was the first time it had experienced such an incident.
The plane arrived from Izumo Airport in Shimane prefecture on Oct 19 and was initially scheduled to depart from Fukuoka at 12.50pm local time the same day.
A small animal was spotted as the plane was preparing for departure, prompting JAC to cancel the flight to Kagoshima Prefecture. - Straits Times/ANN
