In a rare incident, a scorpion bit a woman passenger onboard an Air India flight from Nagpur to Mumbai last month. Upon landing at the airport, the passenger was attended by a doctor, subsequently treated at a hospital, and discharged, the airline informed in a statement on Saturday.
Air India stated that there was an "extremely rare and unfortunate incident involving a scorpion biting a passenger onboard our flight AI 630 on April 23, 2023", as reported by news agency PTI
The airline said that it followed the required protocol and conducted a complete inspection of the aircraft and found the scorpion after which a due fumigation process was carried out.
"Following the incident, Air India asked the catering department to advise dry cleaners to check their facilities for any bed bugs infestation and if necessary, carry out fumigation of the facilities as there is a possibility of bugs finding their way into the aircraft through the supplies," an Air India official said, as per PTI.
Earlier too, there have been instances of reptiles being found onboard aircraft.
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Snake Found In Air India Express Plane's Cargo Hold
In December last year, a snake was found in the cargo hold of an Air India Express plane from Calicut after it landed at the Dubai airport. The B737-800 aircraft came from Calicut, Kerala, and the passengers were safely deplaned. It is a ground-handling lapse, an official told PTI.
A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told PTI that a snake was found in the cargo hold of the plane on arrival at the Dubai airport and the airport fire services were also informed.