A passenger on an Air India flight from New Delhi to New York found a cockroach in their omelet. The passenger captured the incident in a photo and video, which they later shared on X.
The passenger stated that her two-year-old child had already eaten half of the meal before discovering the cockroach in the omelet. She also reported that they later suffered from food poisoning.
The incident took place on Air India
flight AI 101, operating between New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on September 17, 2024.
Investigating the catering service provider
In response to the incident, an Air India spokesperson apologized and stated that the issue had been raised with the airline’s catering service provider.
Photo: Carlos Judica | Shutterstock
In a statement to Gulf News, the airline’s spokesperson said:
“We are aware of a social media post by a passenger regarding a foreign object in the onboard meal offered to them on AI 101 operating from DEL to JFK on 17 September 2024. Air India works with reputed caterers who supply to leading airlines globally and have stringent SOPs and multiple checks to ensure the quality of meals served to our guests.”
The airline expressed concerns “about the experience of the customer in the said instance and have taken it up with our catering service provider to investigate it further.”
Mouse found inside in-flight meal
A similar incident occurred on a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Oslo Airport (OSL) to Malaga Airport (AGP), which was forced to divert after a live mouse escaped from a passenger’s in-flight meal. The airline’s Airbus A320neo made an emergency landing at Copenhagen Airport (CPH).
In a Facebook post, passenger Jarle Borrestad described how the passenger seated next to him removed the cover of her meal, and a mouse suddenly jumped out. After the crew became aware of the runaway rodent, the captain informed passengers that the flight would be diverted to Copenhagen due to the safety risk posed by having a mouse onboard.
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying
The airline’s spokesperson responded to the incident, stating that “this is something that happens extremely rarely.”
“We have established procedures for such situations, which also include a review with our suppliers to ensure this does not happen again.”
Rodents are seen as a serious threat to the safety of both aircraft and airports, and for good reason. They can damage the plane’s electrical wiring, leading to various issues, and their urine is corrosive to metal.