Qantas plane grounded after passengers complain of bedbug bites

ROME: Qantas cancelled a flight from Italy to Australia last week after passengers on the aircraft's earlier journey reported being bitten by bedbugs, according to media reports.

Passengers aboard flight QF5 from Perth to Rome last Friday (Oct 9) were given antihistamines to treat the bites, but the medication reportedly ran out, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The return flight from Rome to Perth on Saturday was subsequently cancelled, and the aircraft - a Boeing 787 Dreamliner - was scheduled for deep cleaning.

Qantas told the Sydney Morning Herald that passengers were provided with accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure.

“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," said a Qantas spokesperson.

Citing a source, the Guardian reported that bedbugs were found in the front of the economy section on the Oct 9 flight.  

Qantas said its aircraft cabins were regularly cleaned to a high standard and treated with disinfectant every 50 days as a precaution.

Bedbugs feed mainly on human blood and are not known to spread diseases. Their bites can cause red, itchy welts but generally do not lead to serious complications.

Symptoms can be resolved with oral antihistamines and calamine lotion.

Bedbugs are usually black, dark brown or reddish-brown. Those that have recently fed appear swollen, while those that have not fed for some time are flatter.

Their eggs are pale, translucent and about 1mm long, making them difficult to spot.

PAST CASES OF BEDBUGS ON FLIGHTS

Although uncommon, bedbug infestations have previously been reported on commercial flights. 

In 2017, a Canadian family on a British Airways flight from Vancouver to London were bitten by bedbugs onboard the plane, the Guardian reported.

Heather Szilagyi, along with her fiance and seven-year-old daughter, had been travelling from Canada to Slovakia. Szilagyi told Canadian broadcaster CTV that she had noticed the bedbugs on the seat in front of her, and spotted another crawling out from behind a TV monitor.

In 2025, a family in Virginia sued Delta Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, alleging that they had been bitten by bedbugs on flights operated by the carriers, NBC News reported.

The family alleged that the bites caused "raised and itchy welts, lesions, and rashes across their torsos and extremities". The bites had also ruined the family vacation and caused "humiliation ... inconvenience, medical expenses and loss of clothing and personal items", they said.