An Emirates flight from Oman to Dubai was cancelled after staff found a snake on the plane, according to BBC.

Flight EK0863 from Muscat was grounded after baggage handlers found the serpent in the cargo hold.

A spokesperson for the airline, quoted by Dubai-based media, said the snake was found before passengers boarded the plane.

The aircraft was searched before re-entering service and arriving at its destination several hours later.

Emirates did not specify the species of snake, nor whether it was potentially dangerous.

Comparisons with the 2006 Samuel L Jackson thriller Snakes on a Plane, which sees passengers battle hundreds of highly poisonous snakes in mid-flight, inevitably emerged on social media.

But it's far from the first time a snake has tried to travel free of charge on planes from warm climates.