Air India denies report of a lizard in its in-flight meal

BBC

7 hours ago

 
• From the sectionIndia

Loss-making Air India has recently been hit by a string of issues, including safety concerns and financial pressures

Air India has insisted that there is "absolutely no truth" in reports that a lizard was found in an in-flight meal on a Delhi-London flight on Thursday.

Its denial follows the publication of a picture on social media which purportedly shows the reptile's head underneath a bun on a meal tray.

It is not clear from the photo if the creature is dead or alive.

The state-owned airline has dismissed the report as a "false and baseless hoax" launched to tarnish its image.

The alleged incident took place when the flight attendants were serving lunch, The Times of India reported.

Air India says that an attempt has been made to tarnish its reputation

"Soon after it was placed on to the tray, the passenger was heard screaming," it quoted a source as saying.

The source said that the lunch was wrapped in cling film and the lizard scurried from underneath a burger.

"The passenger was very upset and said that he would lodge a complaint with the airline on landing," the source was quoted as saying.

But Air India was swift to deny the allegation.

"No such complaint by any passenger of the flight has been received on board the flight or at the Air India office in London," it said in a tweet.

Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju also dismissed the claim, pointing out that no-one had come forward to say that they took the picture since it was posted on social media.

The row comes at a time when the national carrier is battling huge debts which reports say has resulted in delayed payments to its caterers.

Air India red faced over lizard in in-flight meal

 

NEW DELHI, June 13, 2015 (AFP) - Air India said Saturday it was investigating how a lizard ended up in one of its in-flight meals, in the latest embarrassment to hit the struggling airline.

A picture circulating on social media showed the reptile’s head poking out from underneath a bun on a meal tray wrapped in cling film.

The incident happened on a flight from Delhi to London on Thursday, an airline official said. It was not immediately clear if the animal was dead or alive.

“We are investigating how it got in the meal. We are enquiring the caterer and our in-house departments,” Praveen Bhatnagar, an Air India spokesman, told AFP.

The state-run carrier, which has not reported an annual profit since 2007, has been hit by a string of technical glitches and other embarrassing incidents, including staff turning up late for flights.

In April, the airline made headlines when it had to ground two of its pilots after a fight erupted between the pair just before takeoff.