Bad surprise on landing: passengers' suitcases are infested with cockroaches, the plane leaves with this luggage

Plane | Avion MAXPPP – Jean-Luc Flémal

Dans un vol reliant Casablanca et Manchester par la compagnie Royal Air Maroc, des passagers n'ont pas pu récupérer leurs bagages pour une raison insolite : la soute était remplie de cafards.

Travellers returning from Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc on Thursday 15 August had a nasty surprise when they arrived in Manchester. Their luggage was infested with cockroaches. Two hours after the plane landed, some of them were still waiting for their suitcases, in vain.

In the columns of The Independent, a traveller explains “When I checked my AirTag, I was able to see that my case was indeed in Manchester. After 90 minutes of waiting in the baggage hall, without any communication, the nature of the problem was revealed. Apparently the plane's hold contained cockroaches and as a result no staff were allowed near it for health and safety reasons."

The suitcases are still on the plane

Only one hold was affected so the other passengers were able to retrieve their luggage. But the Boeing 737 then returned to Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport, while passengers waiting for baggage were asked to go home. 

On Monday, August 19, five days after this unpleasant discovery, the traveler's AirTag indicates that her luggage is still at Casablanca airport. "Of course, I would like to get my things back, but I don't want to take any risks by taking them home,", she comments in the columns of our British colleagues.