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A snake was found on an Emirates Arlines flight from Oman to Dubai on Sunday just before passengers boarded.
The airline cancelled the flight EK0863 from Muscat after baggage handlers identified the serpent in the cargo hold.
An Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News: “Emirates can confirm that flight EK0863 from Muscat to Dubai on 8 January 2017, was cancelled due to a detection of a snake in the cargo hold prior to passengers boarding.
“Engineering and cleaning teams are working to clear the aircraft to re-enter service. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
The Evening Standard reports that the discovery led some on social media to draw comparisons with Samuel L Jackson’s 2006 thriller Snakes on a Plane in which hundreds of venomous reptiles are released on a passenger flight in an attempt to kill off a trial witness.
Despite the unusual sighting, it isn’t the first time snakes have been found slithering in aircraft.
In November, passengers on an Aeromexico flight in Mexico were thrown into panic mode when a 3ft snake slid out from behind an overhead luggage compartment.
And in October 2013, another snake was found hidden in a takeaway box on an EasyJet flight from Israel to Luton.