A snake was sighted on Tuesday on the Islamabad International Airport's apron area — more commonly known as the tarmac — where airplanes are parked, loaded, fueled and boarded.

The sudden appearance of the serpent panicked on-duty staff, who scrambled for safety amidst confusion and panic.

The airport staff told DawnNewsTV that this was not the first time a snake had been spotted on the Islamabad airport's premises, adding that the airport management "always turns a blind eye" and fails to address complaints of this nature.

Moreover, Airport Security Force (ASF) officials said that the trauma centre located within the facility does not have antivenom or medicines to treat animal/reptilian bites.

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Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson Farah Hussain, trying to quell the panic, said: "The snake was not of the poisonous variety, like a cobra. It was the regular, harmless kind. It emerged in an area where only staff members have access and no passengers ever go there."

Hussain further said that the airport was spread over 4,000 kanals of land and that during rainy season, snakes often show up at urban spaces in search for dry ground.

"The snake does not know this is an airport," she remarked.

When asked whether the serpent had been killed, the CAA spokesperson failed to provide any concrete information, saying that while she does not have news of it being killed, "it probably must have been".