Qantas snake sighting forced a Boeing 747-400 to turn back to Sydney International Airport, delaying hundreds of passengers who were headed from their trip to Japan.
Qantas staffs found the non-venomous eight-inch long snake near the doorway of the plane. It has been quarantined, and officials are determining where the snake came from.
The Qantas plane had just completed a flight from Singapore and was grounded for most of Sunday, and board crew spotted the snake before any passengers boarded.
The department of Agriculture has identified the snake as a Mandarin ratsnake, which is mainly found in Asia. They have euthanized it "as exotic reptiles of this kind can harbor pests and diseases not present in Australia."
Another Qantas snake incident occurred earlier this year in January as a nine-foot python was found riding from Cairns, Australia, to Papua New Guinea's Port Moresby, the AFP reports.
The python had been tucked into the plane's wing before take-off and passengers watched the reptile held on in fierce winds and zero temperatures. The snake had died when it landed.
