Two tourists have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle snakes and other wildlife out of an airport in Thailand.

Josef Gad Harari, 52, from Israel and Yeonsoo Hwang, 24, from South Korea, were detained on suspicion of smuggling protected animals at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

Customs Department spokesman Phanthong Loykulnanta announced the arrests on November 17.

He said Yeonsoo was boarding Thai Air Asia X flight XJ700 to Seoul when authorities found 44 live animals, including 39 Thai black tarantulas and five iguanas, hidden in his luggage.

Meanwhile Josef had been about to leave on El Al Israel Airlines flight LY82 to Tel Aviv when he was caught. Officials found in his belongings 29 turtles, 31 snakes, three Bengal monitor lizards, 12 geckos, a lizard, an iguana, and three Komodo dragons.

Customs chief Phanthong said: 'Both individuals will be charged for violating the Customs Act, the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act, the Animal Epidemics Act, and Royal Ordinance on Fisheries.

'The arrests were a result of cooperation of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Customs Department with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Airports of Thailand.'

The arrests come a month after a woman successfully smuggled an otter, rat and other animals through the same airport on October 4.

However, the critters escaped mid-air causing screams from passengers onboard an Airbus A320 operated by Vietnamese carrier Viet Jet
flying from Bangkok to Taiwan.

Shockingly, a box of 28 live turtles was also found when police searched the plane upon landing in Taipei following the three-hour and 45-minute low-cost flight.

Bungling airport chiefs later admitted that security staff noticed live animals in the passenger's hand luggage but waved through the bags on the conveyor belt. They later suspended the employee involved.