Four American Airlines crew fall ill after eating leftover meals

Dhaka: Four American Airlines flight attendants fell ill in Italy after landing on a positioning flight from the United States, with suspected food poisoning linked to unserved passenger meals onboard.

The flight began after American Airlines canceled flight AA239 on October 3. To reposition the aircraft, the airline sent a Boeing 777-200ER, registered N786AN, on a ferry flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

The widebody landed at Fiumicino at 5:07 am UTC on October 4. Less than an hour later, at 5:56 am UTC, the flight deck crew alerted the airline's dispatch center that four cabin crew members were unwell.

According to initial reports, the flight attendants started feeling sick shortly after eating the leftover meals during the transatlantic crossing.

Despite the medical incident, the aircraft was cleared for its scheduled return service. It departed Rome on time at 6:05 am UTC on October 5, as flight AA9601 bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The airline has not yet disclosed the condition of the affected crew members or whether it has launched an investigation into the incident.