What happened at Fukuoka

A snake about 40 centimetres long was found under the carpet of a Japan Air Commuter aircraft at Fukuoka Airport on Monday, 19 October 2026, while a mechanic was inspecting the plane. The aircraft had flown in from Izumo airport in Shimane Prefecture that day and was due to leave for Kagoshima Prefecture at 12:50 local time. The flight was cancelled after the discovery, and the aircraft was grounded while the search continued. One report places the discovery at around 13:00 local time.

Capturing the stowaway

Catching the reptile took about a day, and a wildlife specialist finally captured it roughly 24 hours after it was found. The snake was identified as harmless and non-venomous. Japan Air Commuter said the snake may have slipped into the aircraft from the wild, but the details remain unclear. Sources have not yet established how it got under the carpet.

Airline response

Japan Air Commuter, described in one report as part of Japan Airlines, said that as far as it could establish, a snake had never before entered an aircraft cabin. The airline issued a statement apologising to passengers for the inconvenience. The reports do not give the number of passengers affected by the cancellation.

Earlier cases

Reports also recall earlier incidents involving snakes on planes or at airports. In 2019 a passenger's snake reportedly crawled out of a backpack, and in 2022 an AirAsia flight was diverted after a snake was discovered on board. The sources give few details of those cases.