Snakes on a Plane 2? AirAsia flight diverted after snake spotted on board

KUALA LUMPUR - An AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sabah on Thursday (Feb 10) was diverted after a snake was seen in one of its overhead compartments.

AirAsia said that as soon as the flight’s captain was aware of the incident, he made the decision to divert the aircraft to Kuching, Sarawak.

The airline told CNA the flight diversion was done as a precautionary measure to fumigate the aircraft.

A video clip of the snake’s silhouette inside one of the plane’s overhead compartments has been circulating on social media.

@beritaalhijrah114 Pesawat mendarat cemas gara-gara kehadiran ular dalam kabin. Sumber edal8808 #beritaalhijrah #viralnewsmalaysia #trendingnewsmalaysia #ular #pesawat ♬ original sound - Berita Alhijrah

“This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time,”  said AirAsia’s chief safety officer, Capt Liong Tien Ling, in a statement to CNA on Friday.

“The Captain took the appropriate action,” he said, adding that the safety and well-being of their guests and crew was always their top priority.

“At no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk,” he said.

The plane departed Kuching for Tawau on Thursday.