Emirates flight to Dubai canceled due to snake on plane

An Emirates flight from Muscat to Dubai was canceled on Sunday following the discovery of a snake in the plane's cargo hold.

Baggage handlers reportedly found the serpent prior to passenger boarding on flight EK0863. According to Gulf News, an airline spokesperson confirmed such, stating, "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."

The flight had to be called off as engineering and cleaning personnel cleared the aircraft to make sure that there would be no threat to passengers and the safety of the flight.

The airline later announced that the snake was eventually secured, and the plane resumed service.

The incident is reminiscent of the Hollywood thriller "Snakes on a Plane," which starred Samuel Jackson. In the said film, serpents slithered out of their crate to bring terror to passengers while the plane was midair.

While snake spotting on flights is uncommon, Emirates is hardly the first airline that has dealt with a serpent seeking to get a free ride.

Back in November, an Aeromexico flight was given priority landing in Mexico City after a snake hissed at its first-class passengers. The flight was reportedly making its way from Torreon when a bright green snake was seen dangling from the plane's ceiling. The animal was immediately secured upon landing.

In January 2013, a 12-foot Scrub Python endured 300 miles per hour wind and freezing temperature as it clung to a wing of a Qantas aircraft that was making its way from Cairns, Australia to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Passengers reportedly saw the snake as it struggled to find some shelter about 20 minutes into the flight. The snake, although battered and wounded, survived the ordeal, but it's not clear what happened to it afterward.