After Snakes on a Plane, Now It’s Time for Mosquitoes on a Plane

IndiGo Airlines offloads Bengaluru Doctor Over Complains of Mosquito In Flight

A swarm of mosquitoes have taken over Lucknow airport and invaded two flights over two separate incidents.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

You have seen snakes on a plane. You have also seen birds on a plane. Now it’s time for mosquitoes on a plane.

A swarm of mosquitoes have taken over Lucknow airport and invaded two flights over two separate incidents.

The first incident was on board a Jet Airways flight, which came to light after a passenger recorded a video of other passengers trying to ward off mosquitoes using their safety cards. This incident was recorded on 8 April and surfaced on social media.

In a separate incident in Lucknow airport’s mosquito menace, a passenger was sent off the aircraft for unruly behaviour as he was complaining about mosquitoes on board the flight.

While the passenger, identified as Saurabh Rai, alleged that he was "manhandled" and "threatened" by the crew, the airline asserted that he was offloaded "on grounds of unruly behaviour" and because he used words such as “hijack”.

Rai, who reportedly works as a heart surgeon in Bengaluru, was taking the Indigo flight 6E 541 from Lucknow to Bengaluru. A statement issued by the airlines regarding the incident said:

A passenger, Saurabh Rai, scheduled to fly this morning fromLucknow to Bengaluru, was offloaded on grounds of unruly behaviour. He expressed concerns over mosquitoes on board. Before the cabin crew could address his concerns, he became aggressive and used threatening language. As the matter escalated after closure of the aircraft doors, he attempted to instigate other passengers on board to damage the aircraft and used words such as ‘hijack’. Hence, keeping in mind applicable safety protocols, the crew apprised the pilot-in-command, who decided to offload him.     

Indigo Statement

The incident led other people on social media to complain about the presence of mosquitoes in Indigo’s aircraft. The airline apologised to some and apprised them of the procedures they follow.