Air India grounded two of its planes due to bedbug complaints

AIR
INDIA Boeing 787-8 lands at Frankfurt airport.
shutterstock/Vytautas Kielaitis

• 
  Air
  India
  
  grounded two aircraft operating
  between Mumbai and Newark after passengers complained of being
  bitten by bedbugs on two flights last
  week.
• Passengers posted pictures and vented their
  frustrations on Twitter.
• The airline said that affected aircraft have been
  fumigated and its upholstery overhauled.

Air India temporarily grounded two aircraft operating between
Mumbai and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey
after passengers complained of being bitten by bedbugs last week.

Business class passengers on board Flight 144 reported bedbug
bites on two separate segments last week.

Air India was not immediately available for comment on the
matter. However, in a statement to NBC News, the airline said
that it is “deeply concerned with a few reports of ‘bugs’ causing
inconvenience to its esteemed passengers.”

“The issue has been viewed seriously and every possible step is
being taken to closely inspect and further strengthen our system
at every level to ensure that such isolated incidents of
passenger discomfiture do not affect our consistent performance,”
the airline added.

While the origin of the insects on the plane is not yet known,
Air India has worked to them exterminate them from its aircraft.

“Experienced experts have carried out extensive service on the
aircraft from fumigation to overhaul of the upholstery, seat
covers, carpets etc to ensure that passengers keep enjoying their
in-flight experience with us as always without any complaint of
inconvenience,” the airline said in a statement.

Two aircraft used to operate the flight the Mumbai-Newark route
were grounded one day each, an airline official told the Hindustan Times.

Multiple passengers of Air India Flight took to Twitter to
express both their frustration and disgust of being bitten by the
insects while flying.

“Just arrived in New York on Air India 144 business class with
family. All our seats infested with bed bugs,” one passenger complained.

Another passenger wrote that his wife
and three children were on Air India 144 from Newark to Mumbai
and “have bedbug bites all of their body.”

“Is this what we paid $10,000 for?” the passenger complained.

Air India, which is India’s national airline, has been
looking for a buyer since being put up for sale by the Indian
government in March.

The airline hasn’t turned a profit since 2007 and has 27,000
employees along with $5 billion in debt. While a deadline has
been extended to facilitate a purchase, a buyer has yet to
emerge.