ROME — Four American Airlines flight attendants were reported ill in Italy shortly after landing on a positioning flight from the United States, following suspected food poisoning linked to unconsumed passenger meals onboard.
The incident began over the weekend after American Airlines flight AA239 was canceled on October 3. To reposition the widebody aircraft for scheduled service, the carrier dispatched a Boeing 777-200ER (registration N786AN) on a ferry flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO).
The aircraft arrived smoothly at Rome Fiumicino at 05:07 UTC on Sunday, October 4. However, less than an hour after touching down, the flight deck crew transmitted an urgent message to the airline’s dispatch center reporting that four cabin crew members had fallen ill. According to initial transmissions, the flight attendants reported feeling sick shortly after consuming leftover, unserved passenger meals during the flight across the Atlantic.
Timeline of Events
- October 3, 2026: Flight AA239 is canceled, necessitating an unscheduled positioning flight.
- October 4, 2026 (05:07 UTC): Boeing 777-200ER (N786AN) lands at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
- October 4, 2026 (05:56 UTC): Pilots notify operations that four flight attendants suffered illness linked to extra passenger meals.
- October 5, 2026 (06:05 UTC): The aircraft departs Rome on schedule as flight AA9601 bound for Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW).
Despite the medical incident upon arrival, the aircraft was cleared for its scheduled return flight to the United States. American Airlines flight AA9601 departed Rome on time at 06:05 UTC on Monday, October 5, carrying passengers back to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
