A FLIGHT out of Melbourne has been delayed by more than an hour after the discovery of a slippery passenger.
A snake catcher was then called to remove the reptile.
The snake was found on Tuesday as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane, according to snake catcher Mark Pelley.
The snake turned out to be a harmless 60-centimeter (2-foot) green tree snake. But Pelly said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold.
He said when he entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and he feared it could flee deeper into the plane.
"I had one chance to grab it, and if it escaped past me it would have gone into the panels, and then that would have been extremely hard to catch," he said.
"Snakes are very fast-moving, thin and agile," he added.
The flight was able to depart after the snake was safely removed. - July 2, 2025
