Flight chaos as bedbug outbreak leaves passengers covered in bites

A long-haul flight between Rome and Perth was grounded after the discovery of bedbugs (Picture: Getty Images)

Passengers were left with bite marks after a bedbug infestation on board a long-haul flight between Australia and Italy.

People on board the Qantas flight from Perth to Rome last week faced every traveller’s worst nightmare after the discovery of the vermin.

Passengers raised the alarm on board flight QF5 on Friday after complaining of being bitten during the nearly 17-hour journey.

Following medical advice,they were handed antihistamines as treatment,but the medication is said to have run out,according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was pulled from service the next day for a deep cleaning,cancelling the return flight QF6 from Rome to Perth.

Bedbugs can cause itchy misery,and getting rid of them is tricky and costly (Picture: Getty Images)

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Passengers were reportedly booked accommodation and alternative flights within 48 hours of the original departure time,the airline said.The Australian flagship airline said its cabins undergo regular cleaning to an extremely high standard.Cabins are also treated with disinsection every 50 days as a standard precautionary measure,it said.Qantas spokesperson told Metro in a statement: ‘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.’Parasite experts say bedbugs can travel onto a plane inside luggage or latched onto clothes.While their bites are not dangerous,they can be itchy and uncomfortable.If bedbugs slip into a home,getting rid of them using professional pest control in cities like London can also be costly.Plane tracking information shows the Boeing plane,nicknamed Kookaburra,entered service almost seven years ago.It features 42 business,28 premium economy and 166 economy seats.Round-trip tickets between Sydney and Rome range from £950 to £2,500.In the UK,bedbugs were discovered on board trains in southern England earlier this month,forcing services to be cancelled.One train between London and Kent was nicknamed the Bedbug Express,and drivers reportedly refused to board affected carriages after the pests were found crawling on their belongings.London has seen a surge in bedbug cases since 2025,with one borough reporting a 40% increase during the first half of 2026.In 2023,Eurostar and Transport for London were left on high alert after a bedbug outbreak in Paris,where pests were spotted in cinemas,public transport and schools.

What are bedbugs?

Bedbugs,from the family Cimicidae,primarily the genus Cimex,feed on blood from their victim,piercing through with their needle-sharp beak.

Once latched onto their unassuming prey,they insert two tubes,one for saliva with numbing properties so the victim doesn’t notice the bite,and another for an anticoagulant to keep blood flowing.

They typically feed at night around every five to seven days,although they can survive up to 70 days without feeding.

These reddish-brown parasitic insects — which typically grow to about the size of an apple seed — hide in mattresses,bed frames,furniture and cracks around the home,making them difficult to spot and remove.

Their bites can cause itchy red marks,although some people have no reaction at all.

Female common bed bugs can lay up to 10 eggs per day and between 200 and 500 eggs in their lifetime

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .

For more stories like this,check our news page.