Snake on a plane: Serpent stalls Dubai-bound flight

Baggage handlers found the potentially-venomous vagabond in the aircraft's cargo hold.

Snake (illustrative) (photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Snake (illustrative)
(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
A flight departing from the Gulf Arab state Oman to nearby Dubai was held up Monday after Emirates airline staff discovered a loose snake slithering aboard the aircraft, the BBC reported.
Baggage handlers allegedly found the serpent in the plane's cargo hold before passengers had boarded.
The aircraft was then grounded for several hours while airline personnel carried out further searches of the plane to rule out the possibility of other serpentine vagabonds. The reptilian ruckus-maker was apparently removed later without incident.
The Dubai-based airline, however, did not specify the snake's species or whether it had been venomous.