Overview
- Passengers on Qantas flight QF5, which flew from Perth to Rome on Oct. 9, reported itchy bite marks in the forward economy section and were given antihistamines by crew.
- Qantas cancelled the scheduled Rome→Perth return on Oct. 10 so engineers could take the Boeing 787 out of service for a deep clean and the airline says it is still investigating the incident.
- All affected travellers were provided hotel accommodation and were rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours, the airline said.
- Experts and health authorities cited by reporting say bites usually cause itchy welts but are not known to transmit disease, and that eradication on aircraft is difficult because insects hide in seat seams and some chemical treatments are restricted.
- The episode follows past flight and rail detections and occurs as specialists warn that increased travel and rising insecticide resistance may make such incidents more frequent and costly for carriers.