Gatwick flight passengers scream in terror as ‘disgusting’ cockroach-like insects fall on their heads delaying Air Transat plane for day
HOLIDAYMAKERS were left screaming in terror as “disgusting” cockroach-like insects tumbled onto their heads delaying their flight by 24 hours.
Dramatic footage shows passengers wriggling out of their seats after bugs were spotted scurrying down the aisle.
Cabin crews raised the alarm before pest control officers boarded the A300 jet and began spraying pesticide in the lockers and on the seats.
Jenna Sullivan, 25, was one of the passengers on flight TS177 delayed from Gatwick Airport to Vancouver.
BUG HORROR
Jenna, who was heading to the Canadian city for a wedding, said on Twitter that the insects resembled “brown bugs with wings”.
She told : “A bug fell right down by my seat and another landed in the lap of the man next to me.
“The flight attendant told him to squash it. It was disgusting.”
The Brighton resident added: “We had been on the plane a few minutes when a bug just fell down between my seat and the man next to me.
A bug fell right down by my seat and another landed in the lap of the man next to me. The flight attendant told him to squash it. It was disgusting.
Passenger Jenna Sullivan
“Another fell into his lap and he picked it up. The flight attendant told him to kill it immediately and he did.
“Most of the bugs seem to be at the back of the plane, but others on board said they saw them running up the main aisle.”
Another social media user said the flight was “infested with insects”, while a third spoke an “insect invasion”.
24-HOUR DELAY
Frustrated passengers said the flight to the Canadian city was initially delayed by seven hours after it was due to take off at 11.15am on Wednesday.
They were finally removed from the plane and put up in hotels – but many complained of poor communication and accommodation miles from the West Sussex airport.
The rescheduled flight was due to take off at 11.10am today – more than 24 hours after it was due to depart on Wednesday.
But the plane was doomed to further delays, with reports that a battery had to be fixed before it finally took off shortly after 1pm.
In a statement, Air Transat said: “The safety and comfort of our passengers is of paramount importance, and we are sorry for the delay to our flight to Vancouver which was due to the need to fumigate the aircraft after insects were discovered in the aircraft cabin.
“Passengers were provided with hotel accommodation and meals, and we regret any inconvenience caused by the delay to their journey.”
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