Airline confirmed that “a few small cockroaches” were discovered mid-journey, inconveniencing at least two passengers who were eventually relocated.
In yet another blow to Air India's image, a fresh incident involving cockroaches aboard flight AI180 has triggered outrage on social media. The flight was bound for San Francisco but had a scheduled stop in Kolkata en route to Mumbai.
Airline confirmed that “a few small cockroaches” were discovered mid-journey, inconveniencing at least two passengers who were eventually relocated.
While the airline called it an "unfortunate" incident, the public’s response was far more severe. This incident not only questions the hygiene standards but also the airline’s dismissive tone.
According to an official Air India statement, the flight underwent a deep cleaning process in Kolkata during its fuel stop before continuing to Mumbai on time. The airline said, “Despite our regular fumigation efforts, insects can sometimes enter an aircraft during ground operations.”
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However, this explanation did little to calm netizens. Many called the incident unacceptable and questioned why it was treated as a minor inconvenience rather than a serious safety and hygiene lapse.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) slammed the airline’s language in the statement: “What is ‘few small cockroaches’? It should be alarming… Not a small irritant.”
Another user wrote, “Are they afraid of maintaining high standards of safety and hygiene?” while pointing out that such passenger complaints are often dismissed by both the government and airlines as trivial.
The backlash highlights growing public frustration with repeated lapses in Air India's service quality, particularly concerning cleanliness and food safety.
Air India's filthy facilities are already well-known. According to a widely circulated rumor, a cockroach was found in an in-flight meal aboard Air India aircraft AI101 in 2024. The traveler and her two-year-old had eaten from the contaminated tray prior to the discovery of the insect.
In July 2025, another user shared unsettling images of a meal insect on an Air India plane. The airline's disregard for basic hygienic standards was also condemned as a result of that occurrence, despite a number of worries.
Beyond this specific flight, internet users are becoming more and more curious about why instances like this keep happening in India's civil aviation industry. One social media user questioned, "If these are the hygienic requirements of a flagship airline, what about others?"
Following the rapid revelation of multiple incidents, passengers and activists are now calling for stricter regulatory oversight. Many are calling on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct periodic inspections and hold airlines accountable for failing to comply with safety and sanitary standards.
The cockroach controversy on AI180 is just the latest in a series of quality control failures that Air India will now have to answer for. With the Tatas attempting a turnaround for the national carrier, lapses like these threaten to derail their efforts to rebuild passenger trust.
What remains clear is that the public will no longer tolerate minimal explanations for maximum discomfort, especially at 30,000 feet.
