Snake on a plane delays Qantas flight

Hundreds of Qantas passengers spent the night in hotels after the discovery of a tiny snake on a flight just as it was about to leave Sydney airport.

A tiny snake found on a Qantas plane delayed the entire flight, stranding hundreds of passengers in Sydney overnight.

A flight scheduled to depart Sydney International Airport for Tokyo on Sunday night was cancelled after staff found a 20-centimetre snake near the aircraft doorway.

A Qantas spokeswoman told AAP 370 passengers were booked on the flight.

They were put up in accommodation in Sydney overnight.

A replacement flight was scheduled to leave Sydney at 10.15am (AEST) on Monday.

The spokeswoman said it was yet to be determined what type of snake it was and where it had come from.

"The snake has gone into quarantine to determine where it's come from," she said.

The spokeswoman said the plane had been fumigated in case the snake was venomous.