Cockroaches found on Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai
Passengers on the Boeing 777 aircraft were relocated to new seats, and the airline has ordered an investigation and deep cleaning of the plane was done
Air India was left red-faced when passengers spotted small cockroaches onboard its San Francisco to Mumbai flight, following which the passengers complained to the crew members and were allocated different seats. The aircraft underwent deep cleaning during its scheduled stop at the Kolkata Airport for refuelling.
Passengers allotted other seats
Following the incident, Air India authorities said that they would conduct a probe to determine the reason behind the incident.
The flight was operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
An Air India spokesperson said that aboard the flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata, two passengers were disturbed by the presence of a few small cockroaches in the aircraft.
Also Read: Exclusive: Not pilot error? Missing black box data, a clue to systems failure or FADEC collapse
The spokesperson also said that after the passengers complained, the crew members allocated them other seats in the same cabin.
"On flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata, two passengers were unfortunately bothered by the presence of a few small cockroaches on board. Our cabin crew, therefore, relocated the two passengers to other seats in the same cabin, where they were comfortable thereafter," an airline spokesperson said in a statement on Monday (August 4).
Also Read: 112 Air India pilots take sick leave after AI-171 crash
Deep cleaning
After the aircraft landed at the Kolkata airport for its scheduled refuelling stop, the ground crew conducted a deep cleaning process to address the issue, and the same aircraft subsequently departed in time for Mumbai.
The Air India spokesperson also said despite their best efforts, insects can sometimes enter aircraft during ground operations, adding that a thorough review would be conducted to determine the reason behind the incident.
Also Read: Doha-bound AI Express flight returns to Calicut due to technical fault
"Despite our regular fumigation efforts, insects can sometimes enter an aircraft during ground operations. Air India will be undertaking a comprehensive investigation to determine the source and the cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also apologised for any inconvenience caused to the passengers.
Details about the number of passengers onboard the flight were not available.
The incident comes at a time when the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is still investigating the deadly Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad and is yet to publish the final report.
(With agency inputs)