Bed bugs reported on a fully-packed Qantas flight from Perth to Rome forced the aircraft out of service, leaving passengers stranded thousands of miles from home. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was grounded and its return service cancelled while crews carried out an extensive deep clean and fumigation programme.
Passengers bitten during 16-hour journey
Those onboard flight QF5 from Perth to Rome alleged they were bitten by the blood-sucking parasites during the journey on October 9, with some requiring antihistamine treatment upon landing. The problem reportedly became so widespread that the aircraft's supply of the medication was completely exhausted.
Bed bugs, which survive by feeding on human blood and are commonly spread via luggage and clothing, can leave sufferers with itchy, inflamed bites. Qantas joins a growing list of carriers to have faced such difficulties, following similar incidents reported on British Airways and Turkish Airlines flights in recent years.
Affected passengers rebooked on alternative flights
Passengers caught up in the disruption were put up in hotels and transferred onto alternative flights.
"We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday's Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats," a spokesperson for the carrier said.
