Passengers on a 17-hour Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Australia to Italy reported bedbug bites while flying to Rome. Crew members provided antihistamines to relieve itching but ran out of supplies during the journey.
After landing in Rome, Qantas grounded the Boeing 787 involved and canceled the aircraft’s scheduled return flight from Rome to Perth on 2026-10-14. The airline arranged accommodation and rebooked all affected passengers on alternative flights within 48 hours of the original departure.
A Qantas spokesperson said the cancellation was required to allow engineers and maintenance teams to perform a deep clean after identifying the bedbug
issue on a small number of economy seats. The airline issued an apology for the disruption and inconvenience caused to customers.
Bedbug Characteristics and Challenges
Bedbugs are small, wingless parasitic insects that feed on blood and usually hide in crevices, attracted by body heat and carbon dioxide. Eliminating infestations requires expensive and extensive cleaning and treatment of seats, furniture, and other materials.
Related Incidents in Transportation
This Qantas incident is among several reported bedbug-related disruptions across international airlines and rail services. In 2017, British Airways apologized after passengers reported bites on a Vancouver to London flight. In 2025, Turkish Airlines faced scrutiny for alleged bedbug cases aboard its
aircraft. Less than two weeks ago, train services in England were canceled after bedbugs were found in driver cabs.
