Passengers on a Qantas flight were reportedly jolted awake by screams after bed bugs were seen crawling up their legs, across personal items and along the aircraft windows.
The alleged infestation came to light on October 9, when travellers aboard flight QF5 from Perth to Rome said they had been bitten during the journey.
Qantas subsequently cancelled the return flight from Rome to Perth on Saturday, removing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from service for extensive cleaning and fumigation.
However, passengers claim they had warned Qantas crew about the insects several hours earlier, while travelling on the Sydney-to-Perth section of QF5. They were reportedly shocked when the plane continued its journey to Rome.
Passenger Hailey Bagnall told 9News the bugs were spreading across luggage, clothes, Qantas blankets and even the plane windows.
She said the insects continued appearing as passengers moved to collect their bags.
According to Bagnall, bed bugs were found inside her husband’s shoes and crawling up their legs and across their jumpers.
Several other passengers also reported being bitten during the gruelling 17-hour flight from Australia to Italy.
A Qantas aircraft was taken out of service following a bed bug outbreak, leaving passengers stranded in Rome for several days
Hailey Bagnall said bed bugs were found on her clothes, her Qantas blanket and the aircraft windows
Travellers on the 17-hour flight to Italy said they were bitten and woken by screaming during the journey
One passenger said they woke to screams and heard a baby repeatedly saying “buggies”, while some travellers became sick.
Qantas provided affected passengers with accommodation and moved them onto replacement flights within 48 hours of their scheduled departure.
The airline said cancelling the return service allowed its maintenance teams to carry out a thorough deep clean of the aircraft.
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“We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
Qantas said its planes undergo regular cleaning and are disinfected every 50 days as a precautionary measure.
The Perth-Rome route is a popular non-stop service for Australia’s national carrier. Qantas had extended its seasonal schedule through late October, adding 40 flights and nearly 10,000 seats.
Bed bugs are tiny, wingless insects measuring between one and five millimetres that survive by feeding on human blood.
The pests can spread quickly by concealing themselves in clothes, furniture, luggage and other personal possessions.
The blood-feeding insects measure just one to five millimetres, can travel through clothing and belongings, and are notoriously difficult to eliminate
Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate once they take hold, often requiring extreme heat, freezing, chemical treatments and fumigation.
Their bites can cause itching and swelling, although the insects are not known to spread disease.
‘Bed bugs are not believed to transmit diseases to humans,’ according to the Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel website.
‘Their bite typically causes a large, reddened and itchy weal that fades to a red spot.’
The health authority said the bites themselves were painless, while the severity of the reaction differed between people.
‘Some people do not react to the bites, but for others the bites can become itchy and swell into reddened weals (or welts).’
It is not the first time the blood-sucking pests have disrupted an international flight.
Bed bugs were found aboard a British Airways service from Vancouver to London in 2017, while passengers on a Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul complained of an outbreak in 2024.
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