Snake in the Sky

I had to catch a morning flight, and had reached the airport well in advance. I was rather surprised on being told that the flight was delayed by more than 3 hours.


The airline was supposed to inform this well in advance. In fact it would have helped me to spend more time with my father who was unwell that time. I was terribly upset and started arguing with the lady at the counter, only to be informed that I could meet the Airport Manager in case of any grievance. That was how a belligerent I landed inside the office of the Airport Manager.

I saw the man hurriedly talking in more than one phone line. He offered me a seat and requested me to wait for a while till he finished some urgent calls. I sat in front of him with furious & long face as was ready to bulldoze him with a full load of complaints.

As the man kept on talking in various languages, I sensed something serious. I slowly started listening to his discussions. I did not understand what the problem was, but got a sense that there was an attempted hi jack. It appeared that the hijacker possessed a snake too. My anger had had given way to a sense of curiosity.


Finally he had finished his calls & looked at me. He apologized for having kept me waiting & politely enquired what my problem was.

By this time my tempers had cooled down & I had decided not to make an issue, but just mentioned about my grievance. He said he was sorry about the miscommunication, and offered me a room in the VIP lounge where I could spend the remaining time comfortably. He had offered a cup of coffee before leaving and we had a small chat on local affairs. While sipping the coffee, I gently asked him? “ May I know what the whole problem you were handling?”

He took a while with a naughty smile and started describing about the happenings of the day.

It all started with one flight taking off from the previous airport. The plane stabilized in the mid air & seat belt sign was switched off. However, most of the passengers had settled down and were lost in their own world.

Meanwhile one passenger got up and pulled out his bag from the overhead boot. He sat down with the bag, and requested the air hostess for a cup of milk.

The whole mid air drama unfolded then. He slowly took out a long rope like thing out of the bag. Initially no one had noticed it, but when they realized, a sudden chill went down their spine! It was a live snake!


There was chaos & panic all over, and people had a feeling that the plane was being hijacked. The airline crew lost no time in surrounding and isolating him. They exhorted him to pack the snake back and hand it over. But he was in no mood to listen. He insisted that he had the right to carry a pet & feed it. He pointed out that the snake was indeed thirsty and if you didn’t give milk, it would become furious! When the crew put pressure, he became adamant and had threatened to leave the snake loose in to the plane. This had created a fear psychosis. The crew had decided to inform the control room. They kept on engaging him during the rest of the flight while keeping the snake in status quo.


The passengers on board had a terrible time as they did not know what would happen. Eventually the plane landed & commandos had swiftly moved in. The man had offered no resistance, but refused to part with his prized possession. He said he could not be separated from his pet. The man was arrested along with his snake and lodged in a special room at the airport.

But there was a problem. The plane could not be cleared for the onward journey without a checked in passenger on board. There were hectic consultations, and at end, he was forcefully relieved off his pet, and sent back to the aircraft. The flight had eventually taken off.


The problem at ground still refused to subside. What to do with the uninvited guest? You are not supposed to release a snake in to the airport area. You cannot kill a snake as it was against the wild life rules of the state. There had to be a proper procedure & documentation for the rehabilitation of this guest from wild.

Finally a solution was worked out. The state wild life department came forward to adopt the snake. The zoo authorities came with an expert & have taken possession of it. They had issued a certificate to the airport authorities to this effect. Every one was relieved.

The airport manager was handling all these issues, while I went and sat with him. I was impressed with his cool way of handling the situation.

Ultimately the departure of my flight was announced after a delay of 5 hours, and I had occupied my allotted seat. To my dismay I saw a man with a zip bag trying sit next to me!

The first thing I have done was to call the air hostess and request for a seat change. You will never know what kinds of pets are hidden in the zippers these days! Hence, better be safe than sorry!!