Cockroaches found in ultra-long-haul San Francisco-Mumbai Air India flight; airline apologises

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 enroute India. The aircraft, a relatively new ex-Delta Boeing 777 (VT-AEH), was “deep cleaned” during its technical (fuelling) 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 8.28 pm (local time) on Aug 2. The cockroach trouble happened as it flew to Kolkata, where it reached after an about 16-hour journey. “…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 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. 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 apologize for any inconvenience caused to the passengers,” the spokesperson added.The aircraft landed in Mumbai early on Monday.