Imagine landing in a South Pacific paradise, only to be sprayed with insecticide before you can leave the plane. The air conditioning shuts off, the seat belt sign stays lit, and a faint hiss echoes through the cabin. Flight attendants walk the aisles with silver cans while some passengers glance around in confusion. No one warns you until the flight has landed and is moving to the gate. It isn’t cleaning time. It’s a government-mandated ritual called disinsection.
We’ve lost count of how many times it’s happened. Sometimes it comes as a surprise if it’s your first visit to the countries that spray. The doors stay locked, the air turns heavy, flight attendants open all the overhead bins, and everyone waits out those uncomfortable minutes. You’re told that if anyone moves from their seat, the spraying will start all over. Welcome to the hidden side of travel between Hawaii and the South Pacific, among other places.
In today’s post we have a list of countries that do this, some on the list will be a surprise, and tips on how to prepare.
What disinsection is all about.
Disinsection is the term for aircraft insecticide spraying designed to stop mosquitoes and other pests from crossing borders. Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and The Cook Islands all require it for every arriving flight. The rule dates back decades to prevent malaria, dengue, and other insect-borne diseases from taking hold in fragile island ecosystems.
Most passengers have no idea this will happen during flight. After landing, a local biosecurity officer boards with the insecticide. The flight attendants spray mist pointed towards the ceiling and overhead bins, wait about ten minutes for it to settle, then return the cans for inspection before the doors open.
Yet experts have long questioned whether it actually works. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has said there’s no clear evidence that aircraft disinsection prevents disease spread. The Environmental Protection Agency refused to register these sprays in 1996, citing possible health risks. That tension explains the growing frustration among passengers and airline crews alike.
A practice expanding worldwide.
Despite decades of debate, more countries are now adopting disinsection, not fewer. Italy joined the list in 2024 after local dengue outbreaks. Other nations are considering similar policies as climate change expands mosquito ranges. What was once an island-to-island precaution is now becoming a global biosecurity tool.
Why some planes spray and others don’t.
Airlines can comply with disinsection in two ways. The first is the aerosol treatment passengers witness, known as on-arrival spraying. The second is residual disinsection, or “dipping,” where interiors are treated every few weeks with a long-lasting insecticide. That coating prevents insects from surviving on board and avoids live spraying. Which is worse? No one seems sure.
Carriers that dedicate planes to South Pacific routes, such as Air Tahiti Nui, Air New Zealand, and Qantas, generally use dipping. Those that rotate aircraft across networks, like Hawaiian Airlines, United, and Air France, can’t maintain that schedule, so they spray on arrival instead. Hawaiian’s policy confirms its flights arriving in Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands are treated before anyone is allowed to disembark.
What passengers actually experience.
Some passengers cough or cover their faces. On our flight to Papeete recently, a passenger became ill from the spray but wasn’t allowed to move. Others record the moment. Almost no one knows what’s being sprayed. The smell of bug spray clings to clothes even after leaving the plane.
Cabin crews dislike it too, perhaps even more than passengers. Many have complained about handling insecticide without extra pay or protective gear. One British Airways flight attendant called herself “livid” about being exposed so often and said the whole process felt unsafe and unnecessary.
What’s actually in the spray.
The active ingredients are synthetic versions of chrysanthemum extract, including permethrin and d-phenothrin. The World Health Organization approves them for aviation use and says they are safe when properly applied, though some passengers experience mild irritation. Most report discomfort rather than lasting effects.
Those with asthma, COPD, or other respiratory conditions have reason to worry. Airlines provide no opt-out and little advance notice. For sensitive travelers, those minutes can feel endless.
Why it feels outdated.
Few travelers object to protecting island environments, but the procedure feels trapped in another era. Modern aircraft use HEPA filters and sealed cargo bays, yet biosecurity agencies still prefer visible aerosol proof. In countries requiring it, aircraft doors cannot open until the disinsection certificate is signed.
Residual dipping avoids the spray but requires discipline and added cost beond two cans of “fly spray.” For global airlines, it’s cheaper to spray than to manage dedicated fleets. The result is inconsistency. Some flights are treated; others aren’t. Passengers never know which they’ll get.
Hawaii’s parallel logic.
Ironically, Hawaii enforces some of the strictest biosecurity rules in the U.S. No fresh fruit, no soil, no live plants, and strict quarantine for pets. Hawaii protects itself the same way its neighbors do. Only in this case, Hawaii travelers become the ones being sprayed to protect another island’s ecosystem.
It’s a shared reminder: every Pacific destination fights to stay bug-free.
Countries currently requiring aircraft disinsection.
More than 30 countries require some form of disinsection worldwide. For Hawaii travelers and beyond, the most common include:
Australia
New Zealand
French Polynesia
Cook Islands
Fiji
India
Indonesia
Italy (added in 2024, and only flights from specific countries)
Jamaica
South Africa
Kenya
These laws apply to all arriving flights. Again, in some cases, the spray occurs before you board; in others, after landing with passengers seated. Either way, compliance is mandatory.
What you can do.
If you’re flying to or from Hawaii and connecting to the South Pacific, expect this on arrival in Sydney, Auckland, Papeete, or Rarotonga.
Bring a mask or scarf if you’re sensitive to aerosols. If you were given a blanket on the plane, you can use it to cover your head. If you received a hot towel before meal service, it can be a face cover for later.
Expect a ten-minute delay before deplaning, and check airline policy pages for disinsection notices.
It isn’t personal, it’s protocol, and it’s definitely not going away.
The bigger picture.
Disinsection highlights the tension between protecting fragile ecosystems and maintaining both crew and passenger comfort and safety. As global warming expands the reach of tropical diseases, these rules are likely to spread even further.
We’ve sat through it more times than we can count and still hate it. The process feels intrusive, uncomfortable, and outdated, yet it continues in the name of safety and science that even experts now question.
Has your flight ever been sprayed on arrival? Let us know your experience in today’s comment section.
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It would be better to spray before entering people on the aircraft and opening overheads to get that area so carryon have the benefit of the spray during flight. Being asthmatic I’ve been sprayed on planes and it is detrimental to exacerbation of immediate distressed. They should warn you before the flight that this will be happening so we can have rescue meds near. Disposable Face hoods should be supplied to all.
I seem to recall that spraying like this took place in the mid-70s to the late 80s on Western (RIP), United and Delta. Am I wrong?
I remember flights to Hawaii being sprayed in the 70s, maybe early 80s. It was a quick spritz down the aisle right before landing, I think & no waiting before deplaning.
re: Insecticide Spraying
We experienced cabin spraying upon arrival at SYD from HNL on Hawaiian in April, 2025. People began coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths or noses. Two days later, we began having flu-like symptoms. Went to Urgent Care and was told we most likely caught sick from breathing in all those germs from sick passengers who had been coughing and sneezing while the plane was being sprayed, especially since the air vents were running at full power. Took ten days to recover. Next time, we’ll bring COVID-rated fave masks and hide under blankets.
We lived in Mexico for 15 years, the pesticide spraying was routine on flight arrivals in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City D.E. So were Military personnel carrying rifles as they greeted arrival!
The Cook Islands I saw a family from Japan open the door of their room and bring in a portable “ionizer” that supposedly eliminates and kills bugs, viruses, germs. Baby animals more sophisticated scale this would work walking up and down a plane aisle rather than freaking everybody out with a liquid spray?
I was a Flight Engineer in the 80’s flying to Pago Pago. The cockpit door opened and the spraying began. The Captain had stood up and quickly grabbed the pillow I had been sitting on for the past 6hrs to cover his face. I had tears running down my face as I told him. The spray would’ve been less toxic.
It’s safe, the governments told you so…. Follow the science. Please don’t question it because that would be unscientific.
Sounds like studies on cancer and birth defects related to repeated toxic exposure of the flight attendants would be informative.