Air India Flight From San Francisco To Mumbai Faces Cockroach Scare; Airline Issues Official Statement

Air India Cockroach Complaint: Air India flight traveling from Tokyo to Delhi had to divert to Kolkata in June due to unusually high temperatures inside the cabin

Image Credit: @airindia/X

Air India Cockroach Complaint: Air India has issued an apology and said it has launched a probe after passengers on its San Francisco–Mumbai flight reported spotting cockroaches mid-air. According to the airline, the small cockroaches were first noticed by two passengers on board the flight, which had a stopover in Kolkata.

Following the incident, the two passengers were moved to different seats. The aircraft was thoroughly cleaned during its layover in Kolkata. The incident occurred on flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata.

This comes at a time when the Tata Group-owned airline is already under pressure due to ongoing operational challenges, including flight delays, customer complaints, and maintenance issues. The carrier is also facing heightened scrutiny after the fatal Dreamliner crash in June and the discovery of multiple safety violations during a DGCA audit.

In an official statement, Air India said, “On flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata, two passengers were unfortunately bothered by the presence of a few small cockroaches on board. Our cabin crew, therefore, relocated the two passengers to other seats in the same cabin, where they were comfortable thereafter. During the flight's scheduled fuel stop in Kolkata, our ground crew promptly conducted a deep cleaning process to address the issue.”

Further adding to the statement, the airline said, “The cabin crew immediately shifted the affected passengers to alternative seats in the same cabin, where they remained comfortable thereafter.” In a similar incident, Air India’s flight AI349, scheduled to operate from Singapore to Chennai on August 3, was cancelled due to a maintenance issue identified before departure. In a statement, the airline said the task required additional time for rectification, which led to the cancellation.

Earlier, an Air India flight traveling from Tokyo to Delhi had to divert to Kolkata in June due to unusually high temperatures inside the cabin. Furthermore, a flight from Mumbai to Chennai returned to its departure point shortly after takeoff when a burning smell was detected in the cabin.

Meanwhile, an Air India Express flight en route from Delhi to Jammu had to turn back mid-flight due to a technical issue. Around the same time, flight AI180 from San Francisco faced an engine problem during its stopover in Kolkata, resulting in hours-long delays for passengers.