Overview

• Superbugs were detected in lavatory wastewater from all 44 international flights analysed in the CSIRO-led study.
• Five high-priority antimicrobial-resistant pathogens appeared on every flight sample, and a last-resort antibiotic-resistance gene was found on 17 flights but not in Australia’s urban wastewater.
• Flights originating in South Asia showed notably higher concentrations of resistance genes than those from Europe, reflecting regional variations in antibiotic use and sanitation.
• Nucleic acids remained stable for up to 24 hours despite aircraft disinfectants, confirming the technical feasibility of wastewater-based surveillance.
• Researchers are calling for pilot programmes to integrate aircraft wastewater monitoring into public-health systems, highlighting the need for standardised protocols and cross-sector collaboration.