Bites reported on the Perth to Rome flight

Passengers on Qantas flight QF5 complained of bites during the Perth to Rome trip on Friday, 9 October 2026, which was operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. According to a BBC report cited by SIC Noticias, crew handed out antihistamines, but the supply on board ran out before the aircraft landed. The airline later said the problem was limited to a small number of economy seats near the front of the cabin. Qantas described the situation as a problem identified on a handful of seats, not a fault affecting the whole aircraft.

Aircraft grounded and return flight cancelled

After landing in Rome, the aircraft was taken out of service so that engineers and maintenance teams could carry out a deep clean. As a result, the return service from Rome to Perth, scheduled for 10 October, was cancelled. Qantas said the pause allowed its teams to clean the aircraft thoroughly after the problem was identified. Blick reported that the airline's inspection in Rome found bedbugs on a small number of economy seats, and that the plane was then handed to specialists for treatment.

Passenger care and the airline's response

Qantas said all affected passengers were accommodated in hotels and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure. The airline apologised sincerely to customers for the disruption. It also said its cabins are cleaned regularly to an extremely high standard and receive preventive disinfectant treatment every 50 days. Blick reported that the airline assured customers no one had to wait longer than 48 hours.

How bedbugs spread and why they are hard to remove

Michelle Power, a parasitologist at Macquarie University, told the Guardian that the bugs were most likely brought aboard in a passenger's luggage or clothing before spreading through the cabin. Bedbugs feed on human blood and are not considered dangerous, but their bites can cause itching and irritation. They can hide in cracks and fabrics for long periods without feeding, which makes them difficult to eliminate. James Rhoades, owner of ThermoPest Bedbug Treatment London, said shared public transport gives the insects chances to move between places because many people use the same seating and storage areas.

A passenger could unknowingly bring a bedbug onto a train or aircraft in their luggage.

Rhoades stressed that finding bedbugs on public transport is still very uncommon, despite recent outbreaks.

A wider rise in cases

A bedbug monitoring company, Valpas, said cases are rising by about 20 per cent a year in London and other large European cities. Its observations found bedbugs in one in every 42 hotel rooms it checked. A London borough had to tackle 40 per cent more bedbug infestations this year than in the same period of 2025. In the UK, bedbugs were also found in two Southeastern train driver carriages, though none were found in passenger areas. The company called the incident "isolated" and said the trains were cleaned before returning to service. Stephen Dogget, an entomologist at the New South Wales state laboratory and diagnostic service, told the Canberra Times that bedbugs on aircraft are not unusual and can go unnoticed for weeks. He said cleaning an aircraft is difficult, because current bedbug strains are highly resistant to insecticides and few products can be used in aircraft.