Air India, the national carrier, faced heavy criticism after a passenger on a flight from Delhi to New York reported finding a cockroach in the omelet served onboard.
The passenger, traveling with her two-year-old child, revealed on social media that they had already consumed more than half of the meal before discovering the insect.
This incident not only caused immediate disgust but also led to food poisoning for both the passenger and her toddler. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the passenger, identified as Ms. Savant, shared a video and photos of the contaminated meal.
In her post, she tagged Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, seeking accountability. Her post read:
Found a cockroach in the omelette served to me on the @airindia flight from Delhi to New York. My 2-year-old finished more than half of it with me when we found this. Suffered from food poisoning as a result. @DGCAIndia @RamMNK.
The post quickly went viral, drawing sharp reactions from netizens who criticized the airline’s quality standards and raised questions about passenger safety.
Acknowledging the issue, Air India promptly replied to the passenger’s post, expressing regret and requesting her booking details for further investigation. Their reply stated:
Dear Ms. Savant, we’re very sorry to hear about your experience. Please share your booking details via DM so that we can investigate promptly.
Additionally, a spokesperson for Air India issued a formal statement, confirming that the airline had launched an inquiry with its catering partner to identify and address the lapse.
We are aware of a social media post by a passenger regarding a foreign object in the onboard meal offered to them on AI 101 operating from DEL to JFK on 17 September 2024. We take such matters seriously and have initiated an investigation to ensure this does not happen again.