Air India comes under fire after bed bugs found on flight

Air India has come under major fire after a passenger last week was bitten by numerous bed bugs in the business class section of the Newark-Mumbai bound flight.

Saumya Shetty, who traveled business class with her three children, including a baby, and arrived in Mumbai last Wednesday, says she developed rashes all over her body. She alleges that despite her complaint to the flight staff, she was forced to sleep in the same seat and got a seat change only a short while before landing in Mumbai.

"Traveled business class thinking it would help with three kids. I'm covered with bed bugs bites and it's been a painful day so far," she posted on Twitter.

"Covered in painful bedbug bites all over my body thanks to business class of #AirIndia is this what you charge for? I only got moved to another seat in the morning when we were landing, it was disgusting! Mind you I was traveling with 3 kids," Shetty said in a series of tweets tagging the media.

Several business class passengers last week took to social media to vent out their anger over being bitten by bed bugs on the Newark-Mumbai flights. The incidents were reported on different days.

Press Trust of India quoted sources to say that a baby was bitten by the bedbugs on the same flight, which left passengers agitated.

Disturbing images were posted on Twitter about the bedbugs crawling on the seats and bite marks all over a woman's hand.

Another passenger Pravin Tonsekar on Tuesday also tweeted that his seat, also in the business class, was infested with bedbugs.

"...just arrived from New York on Air India 144 business class with family. All our seats infested with bed bugs. Sir, have heard of bed bugs on trains but shocked to experience on our maharaja and that too business," Pravin Tonsekar tweeted and tagged the airline and the Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu.

In a second tweet, he said that his "wife and daughters had to suffer half of the journey sitting in economy seats with broken tables and inoperative TV".

Air India has since issued a statement apologising to the passengers on the flight.

"Air India 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 said in a statement.

"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," it added.

The airline said every department related to maintenance and cabin upkeep had probed deep into the concerns raised by a few passengers.

The state-run carrier said it would weed out any deterrent that tarnishes or maligns its image due to its own inadvertent lapse or resulting from any external machination.

Twitter users soon reacted in dismay after Shetty shared the post.