Mumbai: Last week a passenger traveling in debt-ridden Air India Newark-Mumbai bound flight was infested by bed bugs. In another incident passenger named Saumya Shetty who was traveling on the same flight with her three children was also bitten by bed bugs.

"Traveled business class thinking it would help with three kids. I'm covered with bed bugs bites and it's been a painful day so far," she posted.

Due to bed bugs bites she has develop rashes on all parts of her body. According to her tweet despite complaining to the flight staff, she was forced to sleep on the same seat and was only able to move the next day just before landing of the flight.

On Friday sources said a baby was allegedly bitten by the bed bugs on the Newark-Mumbai flight, leaving the other passengers agitated and delaying the flight's onward journey to Delhi.

Another passenger Pravin Tonsekar on Tuesday also tweeted that his seat, also in the business class, was infested with bedbugs.

"...just arrived from New York on Air India 144 business class with family. All our seats infested with bed bugs. Sir, have heard of bed bugs on trains but shocked to experience on our maharaja and that too business," Pravin Tonsekar tweeted and tagged the airline and the Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu.

In a second tweet, he said that his "wife and daughters had to suffer half of the journey sitting in economy seats with broken tables and inoperative TV".

"We are sorry to hear this, Mr Pravin. Sharing the details with our maintenance team for corrective measures in this regard," the airline tweeted in its reply.

A comment from the Air India spokesperson was awaited. In August last year, a rat was spotted on Air India's Delhi-San Francisco flight, one of the longest haul flights in the world, forcing the flight to depart after a nine hour delay.

Over 200 passengers were onboard. After taking the aircraft to the parking bay, it was fumigated and this exercise took about six hours.

(With inputs from PTI)