NEW DEHLI: During a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru, a passenger found himself trapped in an airplane toilet for over an hour due to a malfunctioning door mid-journey. The man, who was eventually rescued upon the flight’s landing in Bengaluru early Tuesday morning, experienced the inconvenience during what is typically a 105-minute journey. SpiceJet has issued an apology, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to the passenger.
“Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door and the passenger received immediate medical support,” a SpiceJet spokesperson told the BBC, adding that the airline would provide him a full refund.
The airline chose not to disclose further information about the passenger, yet according to one newspaper, the man was reportedly in a “state of shock.”
An unnamed official at Bengaluru airport informed the Times of India that the unfortunate individual had flown from Mumbai to Bengaluru hidden inside the airplane’s toilet and astonishingly found himself trapped within the confined lavatory upon landing.
The official mentioned that the crew, in response to the distressed calls from the man, attempted to open the door on several occasions. According to the official, an airhostess discreetly passed a note to the passenger, urging him not to panic.
“Sir, we tried our best to open the door…Do not panic. We are landing in a few minutes, so please close the commode lid and sit on it and secure yourself. As soon as the main door is open, engineer will come,” the note reportedly said.
The occurrence occurred amid India’s aviation minister’s announcement of establishing ‘war rooms’ at the nation’s six major airports to tackle concerns related to passenger inconveniences. Numerous domestic flights faced delays since Sunday due to dense fog in Delhi, one of India’s busiest airports. Airlines attribute the chaos to the cascading impact of fog, while irate passengers point fingers at inadequate communication from airlines and airports.
