An Air India flight from Mumbai to Kochi was delayed by an hour and a half on Monday morning with 125 passengers refusing to fly due to mosquito menace.

The passengers alleged that when they complained about the swarm of mosquitoes inside the plane, the cabin crew simply refused to tackle the problem by saying that nothing can be done. Some of the passengers even yelled at the staff for their inefficiency in dealing with the situation.

According to a report, all passengers on board Air India flight AI-054 were asked to deplane to spray mosquito repellents, but to not effect. Later, the plane finally took off at 7.05 am.

A Mumbai International Airport Limited official said that all necessary measures are being done to curb the mosquito menace including keeping the nearby Mithi river clean and prevent water-logging, apart from regular fumigation, as only a few days ago an another flight was delayed by about 15 minutes due to mosquito menace. Meanwhile, an Air India spokesperson refused to comment.

A passenger said that everything was going according to the schedule, but once they entered the plane a swarm of mosquitoes started hovering all around creating problems for all of them.