Mumbai man falls sick after being served cockroach in meal on flight

The 35-year-old business class flier claims the Jet Airways crew didn’t even provide him with medical attention when he fell ill, but just apologised and offered to replace his food

Jet Airways’ breakfast platter served to business class flier Birju Salla yesterday had a variety of dishes — paratha, croissant, fruits and, last but not the least, chana masala with cooked cockroach. A vegetarian, Salla claimed that he immediately fell sick but the flight crew instead of offering him medical help, just apologised and offered to replace his food.

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The cockroach served in the breakfast meal to Birju Salla (left)

Salla (35), a Peddar Road resident, had boarded the airline's flight 9W 7129 from Mumbai to Rajkot for a business trip yesterday morning. But on reaching Rajkot, he was not able to work due to immense stomachache.

“I have never seen such an act of gross negligence from an airline crew. All they could offer was a replacement meal. Pathetic!” said Salla. “I had to eventually consult my Mumbai doctor over the phone and he prescribed medicines.
My plans for the day went for a toss because of their negligence,” he added.

Also Read: Mumbai-bound train serves dead cockroach in vegetable biryani

Salla then complained to the airline authorities via email. “I am a regular premier JP Platinum flyer. You just can’t imagine the state of my mind. I have been harassed by your so-called esteemed airline,” the complaint read.

“Sometimes there are safety issues like your own crew forgets to lock the cart in gallery. I always try to ignore and assume we are humans and mistakes do happen but not this time,” he added.

He also wishes to raise this issue before food safety and quality department. Sudhakara Reddy, President, Air Passenger’s Association of India, said, “If the passenger has all proofs with him, he should write to the airline and if he finds that the airline is taking the matter casually, he can even approach Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).”

Jet speak
“We have noted the concerned guest's experience with regard to meal service on board our flight. An apology was immediately tendered to the guest and an alternate meal was offered. The guest did not complain of uneasiness to the cabin crew. We have taken up the issue with the caterer for immediate investigation. At Jet Airways we have a stringent policy for meal preparation and segregation and we conduct regular audits. While this incident is extremely rare, Jet Airways sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to the guest,” a Jet Airways spokesperson said.

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