Qantas cancelled its Rome-to-Perth flight on Saturday, October 13, 2026, after passengers reported bedbug bites on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a preceding 17-hour flight from Australia to Italy. The airline grounded the aircraft in Rome for deep cleaning and inspection, and also cancelled the scheduled return flight to Perth.
Bedbug Reports and Cleaning Measures
Passengers in the economy section of the affected Boeing 787 complained of bedbug bites during the Australia-to-Italy flight. Cabin crew distributed antihistamines to ease itching, but supplies eventually ran out. Upon arrival in Rome, Qantas engineers and maintenance teams conducted a thorough deep clean, focusing on a small number of
economy seats where the issue was identified.
Passenger Impact and Airline Response
All passengers booked on the cancelled Rome-to-Perth flight were provided with accommodation. Qantas rebooked these travellers on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure time. A Qantas spokesperson apologized for the cancellation, emphasizing it allowed maintenance teams to carry out the necessary deep clean after the bedbug issue was discovered in economy seats.
Bedbug Characteristics and Industry Incidents
Bedbugs are small, wingless parasitic insects that feed on blood and are notoriously difficult and costly to eradicate. Their bites cause itching but are not known to transmit disease. Similar bedbug-related disruptions have recently affected other international airlines
and railway services, including cancellations of train services in England and previously reported airline incidents involving British Airways and Turkish Airlines.
