Air India apologises, 'deep cleans' after roaches found on flight

NEW DELHI: Air India has apologised for cockroaches on last Saturday's San Francisco-Mumbai (via Kolkata) flight due to which seats of some flyers had to be changed. The aircraft, a relatively new ex-Delta Boeing 777 (VT-AEH), was "deep cleaned" during its technical halt in Kolkata and the airline will initiate "a comprehensive investigation to determine the source / cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence."

The aircraft had taken off from San Francisco at 8.28pm (local time) on Aug 2. The cockroach trouble happened as it flew to Kolkata, where it arrived after about 16 hours. "...Two passengers were unfortunately bothered by the presence of a few small cockroaches on board. Our cabin crew, therefore, relocated the two to other seats...," an Air India spokesperson said.

"During the flight's scheduled fuel stop in Kolkata, our ground crew promptly conducted a deep cleaning process to address the issue. The same aircraft subsequently departed in time for Mumbai. Despite our regular fumigation efforts, insects can sometimes enter an aircraft during ground operations... We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused," the spokesperson added.