Snake alert on Melbourne-Brisbane flight: Departure delayed by two hours

Virgin Australia flight VA337 from Melbourne to Brisbane was able to take off approximately two hours after its scheduled time due to an unusual incident. While the plane was still preparing for departure, a snake was spotted in the cargo hold. The cabin crew immediately took control of the situation, secured the area, and requested assistance.

Airport authorities called in professional snake catcher Mark Pelley, known in the region as the “Snake Catcher.” Pelley described the events as follows: “They called and said, ‘There’s a snake on the plane, can you come right away?’ so I set off immediately.” Upon his arrival at the airport, security checks took about 15 minutes, during which time the passengers remained on the plane waiting for takeoff.

Pelley emphasized that if the snake had escaped behind the aircraft panels, it would have been nearly impossible to catch, noting that he had to act quickly. “I had one chance, I had to be quick,” said Pelley, whose intervention allowed the snake to be caught and placed in a box within about 30 seconds.

Examinations revealed that the snake was a non-venomous species, and it is suspected that it likely entered the aircraft in luggage that arrived on an earlier flight that morning. Pelley stated that he had intervened in many incidents at the airport before, but this was the first time he had performed an operation inside an aircraft.

Following the delay, flight VA337 was able to take off at 18:23, and the passengers reached Brisbane during the night. While no one was harmed in the incident, the airline's swift response to the situation drew attention.

News Source: 12punto