A Qantas flight travelling from Italy to Australia was cancelled on Saturday after an outbreak of bedbugs on the aircraft. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had to be taken out of service so it could be thoroughly cleaned.
The disruption followed a nearly 17-hour journey from Perth to Rome on Friday. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, some passengers on that flight said they were being bitten by bugs during the trip.
Passengers reported bites on the Perth to Rome flight
Those passengers were reportedly given antihistamines to relieve the itching caused by the bites. However, the supplies ran out before the flight landed.
The reports suggest the problem was noticed in the cabin before the aircraft was due to fly again, though the airline has not given a detailed timeline of when the issue was first identified.
Qantas apologises and rebooks affected customers
A Qantas spokesperson told the that the aircraft had to be grounded for “a deep clean”. The spokesperson said the company was sorry for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service.
The airline said the cancellation allowed engineers and maintenance teams to clean the plane after an issue was found on a small number of economy seats. Affected customers were given accommodation and rebooked on other flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
Bedbugs and recent travel disruption
Bedbugs are small, wingless parasites that can live in clothing, furniture and bedding. According to the NHS website, their bites can be itchy but do not usually cause more serious health problems.
Getting rid of them can be difficult and expensive. Recommended treatment includes washing bedding, clothing and fabrics such as curtains on a hot wash and tumble drying them, or sealing items in plastic bags and placing them in a freezer for three or four days.
Bedbugs have caused travel disruption elsewhere recently. Less than two weeks before the Qantas cancellation, several Southeastern train services in England were cancelled after drivers found the insects in their cabs. In 2017, British Airways apologised to a family who were covered in bug bites after an overnight flight from Vancouver to London. Turkish Airlines also faced criticism last year after reports of bedbug infestations on its planes, with allegations at the time that the airline had not acted on the problem.
