Suvarnabhumi apologises for snake found on luggage cart

A reptile expert said snake seen a Suvarnabhumi airport’s arrival hall appeared to be a Malayan Bridle snake, a non-venomous variety. (Photo from YouLike Facebook page)

Suvarnabhumi airport issued an apology after a snake slithered into the arrival hall and wrapped itself around the base of a luggage cart over the weekend.

Built on land previously known as "Cobra Swamp," the airport said it would like to "apologise for the incident that frightened passengers" on Sunday.

A female passenger spotted the snake after placing luggage on the cart as she prepared to leave the arrival hall, the statement said.

"After being alerted, security officers captured the snake right away and no passengers were injured," Airports of Thailand said in a statement Sunday that described the reptile as "a small baby snake" but did not identify the species.

Snake expert Thanaphong Tawan at a Bangkok snake farm run by the Thai Red Cross Society said the snake appeared to be a non-venomous variety called Dryocalamus davisonii -- commonly known as Blanford's bridle snake -- based on a picture taken at the airport and published by Thai media.

The statement sought to "reassure that clear and strict measures have been imposed to prevent all poisonous animals from slipping into the airport's buildings" and it was believed "the baby snake managed to slip into the airport because it was very small."