In scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster, a television personality has helped wrangle a stowaway snake on a plane in Western Australia’s north.
Virgin flight VA1482, scheduled to take off from Broome at 10.30am and destined for Perth, was delayed by 20 minutes as the reptile was removed.
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And in a bizarre twist, TV personality Andre Rerekura has been shown on a social media video as the man who took the snake off the plane before the aircraft departed.
Mr Rerekura, who stars on Disney’s Shipwreck Hunters Australia, described the snake as a “cute” Stimson’s python.
Non-venomous and harmless, Stimson’s pythons are a common sight in the north of Australia — especially during the hotter summer months.
‘Never a dull moment’
In a separate video posted to Instagram, an air hostess can be heard in exasperated tones over the intercom.
“There is never a dull moment in aviation — but that certainly takes the cake,” she said.
“We do have a gentleman onboard who has safely taken it off the aircraft.
“We are going to continue as normal — I don’t really know what else to say.”
A Virgin spokesperson said the airline was “aware of an incident on board VA1482” and the flight had continued as planned once the snake was removed.
The flight continued as planned once the snake was removed. (ABC Kimberley: Andy Seabourne)
Broome International Airport chief executive Craig Shaw said he was “uncertain how the reptile came to be on board”.
“Our staff assisted in the removal of the reptile and there was minimal disruption to the service,” he said.
“Any further questions should be directed to the airline.”
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