A plane had to be grounded after a snake was discovered on a Qantas Boeing 747 airliner.

The finding of the small reptile led to 370 passengers being grounded in Sydney overnight, the airline said today.

Staff found the eight-inch unidentified snake in the passenger cabin near the door before passengers were due to board at Sydney International Airport for a flight to Tokyo, Qantas said in a statement.

Australia’s flagship airline said the passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight and left Sydney on a replacement plane this morning.

The snake was taken by quarantine officials for analysis.

The Australian Agriculture Department said in a statement the snake was with entomologists and had not yet been identified.

The jet had been on an airport tarmac since it arrived in Sydney from Singapore on Saturday.