Ben Squires
Domestic Travel

Snake hitches ride to airport on private jet

Biosecurity staff at Auckland Airport were greeted by an unexpected passenger hitching a ride on a private jet on the weekend.

A snake was spotted on the tarmac after the aircraft landed on Sunday and was initially contained with a bucket by airport staff.

The snake has yet to be identified, although it is likely to be a brown tree snake.

Craig Hughes, from the Ministry for Primary Industries, said a snake handler was quickly on the scene.

"It appears the snake had crawled into the wheel housing of a private jet that arrived from Brisbane," Hughes said.

The snake is in a poor condition when it was captured and is likely to be euthanised after consultation with the Department of Conservation.

"We don't have a snake population in New Zealand. Biosecurity officials are doing their best to make sure it stays that way," Hughes said.

Have you ever had a close encounter with a snake?

First appeared on Stuff.co.nz. Image credit: Twitter / Primary Industries 

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travel, snake, AIrport, Travel Interational