Stowaway Snake Found on Commercial TUI Flight From Mexico to London

• A cabin cleaner discovered a stowaway snake on a Tui Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at London Gatwick after a nine-hour flight from Cancun, Mexico
• Tui temporarily grounded the aircraft and laid traps, but the snake evaded capture and disappeared inside the plane
• Experts eventually concluded the snake had likely left the aircraft on its own, allowing Tui to resume normal flight operations
• Briefly News spoke with former SAA flight attendant Nosiphiwo Diniso to get her perspective on the stowaway snake discovered on a TUI flight

A cabin cleaner made an unexpected discovery at London Gatwick airport on 5 June after a Tui Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down from Cancun, Mexico. Hiding somewhere inside the aircraft was a non-venomous snake that had quietly survived the entire nine-hour transatlantic journey without a single passenger noticing it. An aircraft cleaner found the reptile during a routine check after the plane landed.

The snake that refused to be caught

Read also

2 men arrested after human organs found in buckets at Soweto property

Tui immediately grounded the aircraft as a precaution and set traps throughout the cabin to locate and remove the unwanted passenger. Despite the efforts of the airline's team, the snake proved impossible to track down and eventually vanished somewhere within the plane. With traps going untouched and no further sightings reported, wildlife experts were brought in to assess the situation.

How the snake possibly gained entry into the plane

Their conclusion gave Tui the all-clear, UK publication Independent reported. The experts advised that the snake had most likely found its way off the aircraft altogether, rather than remaining hidden inside. On that basis, the airline was satisfied that the plane posed no risk to travellers and standard flight operations resumed. Remarkably, not one passenger on the Cancun-to-Gatwick flight reported seeing the snake at any point during the journey, suggesting the reptile kept well out of sight throughout the trip.

Cabin safety and the mystery of the flying stowaway

We sat down with Nosiphiwo to discuss how a snake could board a commercial flight undetected and where it may have gone wrong. The team asked how she reacted to hearing of the snake found on a TUI flight. She said:

“As a former flight attendant, that is my absolute worst nightmare. A loose, hidden snake on a long flight would terrify both the passengers and the cabin crew.”

Read also

Student pilot forced to land aircraft alone after instructor jumps from plane mid-flight

We asked how she thinks the stowaway snake got inside the aircraft. She responded:

“I really can’t tell, but my guess is it got in through the avionics compartment while the plane was on the warm tarmac. It is easy for small reptiles to slip into open bays.”

We noted that the snake first vanished after it was found and asked if that surprised her. Nosiphiwo shared:

“Not at all. Aircraft are full of tight spaces, vents, and wiring bundles behind the walls. Once a small snake gets behind the cabin panels, finding it is almost impossible.”

4 Briefly News articles about snakes

• A venomous snake was filmed snuggling in the engine of a moving boat, shocking many social media users who wondered how it got there.
• A South African fisherman was filmed rescuing a massive python swimming deep in the sea, earning high praise from viewers.
• A woman shared a terrifying video after discovering a snake slithering across the tiled floor of her home, prompting her to panic and call for help.
• A massive black mamba was safely removed from a home in KwaZulu-Natal after it was discovered hiding in a bedroom wardrobe, shocking many social media users.

Source: Briefly News