Air India passenger finds cockroach in meal, suffers food poisoning along with toddler
Reacting to the incident, Air India expressed concern and has initiated an investigation with the catering service provider involved
PTC Web Desk: A passenger flying with Air India from Delhi to New York on September 17 raised a serious complaint after discovering a cockroach in the meal served onboard. The passenger, Suyesha Savant, and her two-year-old child reportedly fell ill with food poisoning after consuming the contaminated meal.
Reacting to the incident, Air India expressed concern and has initiated an investigation with the catering service provider involved. "Air India works with reputed caterers who supply meals to leading airlines globally. These caterers follow strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) and conduct multiple quality checks. We are concerned about the customer’s experience and have taken the matter up with our catering service provider for a thorough investigation. We will take the necessary steps to prevent such instances from happening again," said an Air India spokesperson.
Savant, a journalist, took to social media platforms Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to share her distressing experience. She posted videos and images showing what appeared to be a cockroach inside the omelette served to her for breakfast shortly after the flight's departure from Delhi. According to Savant, she had consumed more than two-thirds of the meal and had been feeding the same omelette to her toddler before noticing the foreign object.
"I found a cockroach in the omelette. I had already eaten most of it and, worst of all, I had fed it to my 2-year-old child. Not surprisingly, we both suffered food poisoning at the start of our trip," Savant wrote on Instagram. She also voiced her long-standing loyalty to Air India, saying that despite the airline's shortcomings, her family had continued to fly with them. However, this incident pushed them "over the edge," and they are now dreading their return flight.
Savant tagged Air India, catering service provider TajSATS, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in her posts, calling attention to the incident and demanding action.
This is not the first time Air India has faced complaints regarding foreign objects found in in-flight meals. In June, a passenger on a flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco found a blade-like metal piece in his meal. Following that incident, Air India confirmed that the object came from a vegetable processing machine at its caterer’s facility, and the matter was addressed.