Qantas cancelled its Rome to Perth flight on Saturday, October 10, 2026, after passengers on a prior leg reported bedbug bites on board its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Cause of Flight Cancellation
Passenger complaints of bedbug bites triggered the cancellation. Bedbugs are small, wingless insects that feed on blood and can spread via clothing, luggage, and bedding. They typically cause itchy bites but rarely pose serious health risks, according to health authorities in the UK and Australia. Bedbug removal can be difficult and expensive, involving washing bedding and clothes on hot cycles or sealing items in plastic bags in a freezer for several days.
Qantas Response and Passenger Arrangements
The affected Boeing 787 Dreamliner was removed from service for a thorough deep cleaning by engineers and maintenance staff. The infestation was confined to a limited number of economy seats on the aircraft. Qantas has a routine aircraft disinfection schedule every 50 days as a precaution. Passengers on the cancelled service were accommodated in hotels and rebooked on alternate flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
Official Statements and Operational Impact
A Qantas spokesperson apologized for the cancellation and said grounding the aircraft allowed a deep clean after the bedbug issue was found on some economy seats. Bedbug bites are considered a nuisance but
have not been linked to disease transmission. This incident illustrates how a problem affecting a small number of seats can cause a long-haul aircraft to be taken out of service.
