Airplane food just got worse
Air India is 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 inquiring the caterer and our in-house departments,” said Praveen Bhatnagar, an Air India spokesman.
But according to the BBC, Air India has insisted that there is “absolutely no truth” to the reports, dismissing the report as a “false and baseless hoax” launched to tarnish its image.
“Soon after it was placed on to the tray, the passenger was heard screaming,” The Times of India quoted a source as saying.
“The passenger was very upset and said that he would lodge a complaint with the airline on landing.”
But Air India maintains that no complaint has since been lodged, despite the image of a lizard in the passenger’s food being circulated via social media.
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 take-off.
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