Qantas flight grounded after bedbug outbreak

A Qantas flight from Italy to Australia was cancelled on Saturday, after an outbreak of bedbugs on the plane.

During the previous flight on Friday – a nearly 17-hour journey from Perth to Rome – some passengers had complained that they were being bitten by bugs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

They were reportedly given antihistamines to help ease the itch of the bites, but supplies ran out.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had to be grounded for “a deep clean”, a Qantas spokesperson told the BBC.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

All affected customers were provided with accommodation and were rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure, the carrier added.

Bedbugs are small, wingless parasites that can live on clothes, furniture and bedding. Their bites can be itchy but they do not usually cause more serious health problems, the NHS website says.

But they can be difficult and expensive to get rid of. Treatment includes washing all bedding, clothing, and household materials like curtains on a hot wash and tumble dry, or they can be put in plastic bags in a freezer for three to four days.

Bedbugs causing travel chaos is not unusual – less than two weeks ago, several Southeastern train services in England were cancelled after drivers discovered the creepy-crawlies in their cabs.

In 2017, British Airways apologised to a family travelling from Vancouver to London, after they were left covered in bug bites from an overnight flight.

And Turkish Airlines faced a PR nightmare last year after the New York Times reported several instances of bedbug infestations on its planes – and allegations at the time that the airline did nothing about it.