A stowaway snake has held up a packed plane full of terrified travelers and cabin crew before a television star came to the rescue.
Virgin Australia flight VA1482 took off from Broome to Perth on Thursday morning almost half an hour after its scheduled departure after the unwelcome passenger was spotted under economy seats.
Star shipwreck hunter Andre Rerekura and his co-star Anouska Freedman were on board the flight at the time.
Mr Rerekura, who stars in Disney’s hit show Shipwreck Hunters Australia, sprang into action and calmly removed the snake from the plane.
“(Andre Rerekura) saved the day, there was a snake on the plane and he caught it and got out,” his co-star later posted on Instagram.
‘Only in Western Australia.’
His courageous action brought cheers from the relieved cabin crew and passengers
“There’s never a dull moment in aviation, but that certainly takes the cake,” a crew member was heard saying over the loudspeaker in a separate video of the incident.
Shipwreck hunter Andre Rerekura was spotted climbing back into his seat after catching the snake
‘Only in Western Australia’: Mr Rerekura’s co-star applauded his efforts after snake was removed
“We have a gentleman on board who made it out of the plane safely.
‘We’ll just carry on, I don’t really know what else to say.’
‘I don’t really know what else to say. Thanks everyone.”
Daily Mail Australia understands the snake was not poisonous and was given to airport officials.
Mr Rerekura later told the newspaper ABC the snake was a “cute” Stimson python.
“They pretty much locked down the entire plane and everyone was going to be disembarked and sent off the plane, which we weren’t too keen on because everyone wanted to go home,” he said.
“As soon as I saw it, I was able to identify it pretty easily… so I knew it was safe [and] I knew it was just scared and super shy.”
“So I wanted to get it off really quickly… it was super cute, but some of the flight attendants were running the other way.”
He said he was offered a free drink for his efforts and opted for a soft drink.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson confirmed a snake had been found on the plane and removed before the flight continued to Perth as expected.
Professionals are normally tasked with removing snakes from planes, the airline revealed, and a handler had already been called before Mr Rerekura stepped in to help.
The airline thanked passengers for their patience during the incident.
Craig Shaw, CEO of Broome International Airport, told the ABC he was “not sure how the reptile got on board”.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Broome Airport for further comment.