Air India has denied reports that a lizard was found in one of its in-flight meals.
Air India, denying reports that a lizard was found in a packed meal on board its Delhi-London flight, is now investigating the source of what the airline calls "mischievous propaganda to tarnish" its image.
A picture of a small lizard's head poking out from underneath a bun on a meal tray wrapped in cling film was widely circulated on social media, with Air India trending high on Twitter today.
"This has reference to a report in the media, including on the social media, that a passenger had found "a lizard in his/her meal tray" on board AI 111 (Delhi-London) of 11th June 2015 (Thursday).
Air India has investigated the "incident" and has found it to be false and baseless. No such complaint by any passenger of the flight has been received on board the flight or at the Air India office in London," a statement from the national carrier said.
Air India officials said that the cabin crew was not aware of any such incident.
"Forget complaint, if such an incident had taken place, our cabin crew would have come to know. They are unaware," said GP Rao, Deputy General Manager, Air India.
The airline also reassured passengers about following international hygiene norms in service of food, "These caterers are HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certified and comply with all hygiene, safety and security measures while preparing meals," the statement said.
Despite the official's denial, the Civil Aviation ministry has taken a stern view of the alleged incident, with minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today saying "This is a serious thing, Air India is not expected to serve lizards."
Air India, 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 duo just before take-off.