Overview
- Passengers on the nearly 17-hour Perth–Rome flight reported insect bites during the journey on October 9, and cabin crew distributed antihistamines until supplies ran out.
- After landing in Rome the Boeing 787 was taken out of service, Qantas confirmed the insects were bedbugs and cancelled the scheduled return flight QF6 so technicians could carry out specialist cleaning.
- Qantas said affected travellers were put in hotels and rebooked onto other flights within 48 hours and that the problem involved only a small number of Economy seats.
- Entomologists told reporters that bedbugs commonly travel in luggage or clothing, cause itching and allergic reactions but are not known to transmit disease, and that many modern strains show high resistance to insecticides.
- The incident highlights wider operational risks for long‑haul routes because only a few chemicals and treatments are safe for aircraft interiors, and similar travel‑related bedbug findings have caused disruptions before.