Cockroach Sighted On Air India Flight To Chennai, Airline Responds

Passengers aboard an Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai were in for an unwelcome surprise when a few cockroaches made an appearance mid-flight. According to the airline, the insects were spotted by two passengers after the plane landed in Kolkata for a scheduled stop.

An Air India spokesperson said, “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.”

“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. Air India will be undertaking a comprehensive investigation to determine the source and the cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passengers,” the spokesperson said.

The pest sighting, though minor, adds to a difficult day for the national carrier, which also had to cancel two other flights due to technical snags.

Air India Flights Cancelled

Air India’s flight AI349 from Singapore to Chennai was cancelled on August 3 after engineers flagged a maintenance issue prior to departure. The airline said the repair needed more time than expected and apologised for the disruption. It added that “every possible effort” was made to rebook affected passengers on the next available flights to Chennai.

On the same day, passengers waiting to fly from Bhubaneswar to Delhi were caught off guard when their Air India flight AI500 was abruptly cancelled. The cause: unusually high cabin temperatures were detected on the ground prior to takeoff.

“Our airport team in Bhubaneswar is assisting the impacted passengers with alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination,” the airline said in a statement.