Dead worms found in a Bahrain-bound airline passenger's in-flight meal caused widespread disgust on a plane last week, according to reports.

The incident occurred on an Air India Express (AIE) flight from Mangalore to Bahrain recently, when a passenger discovered the deceased creepy-crawlies in their breakfast stew.

Several other breakfasts remained uneaten following the grisly find, The Times of India reported.

Improperly cleaned cauliflower used by the local caterer may have been the source of infestation, AIE Mangalore station manager Nagesh Shetty told the newspaper.

He said that as this was the caterer's first offence, the catering bill for the flight would not be paid.

"But for the second offence, the entire month's bill will be the penalty amount," said Shetty, adding that the caterer would not be allowed to serve stew on AIE's flights anymore.