A male passenger on a Mumbai-Bengaluru SpiceJet flight was trapped inside the aircraft’s toilet for the entire journey on Tuesday (Jan 16) due to a malfunction in the door lock. The passenger was eventually rescued after the flight landed at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and engineers broke open the door.
The crew members provided guidance and reassured the distressed flyer throughout the journey using handwritten notes, asking him not to panic, the airline said in a statement.
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Following the take-off of the flight at 2am on Tuesday, a passenger sitting in the 14th row went to the toilet and got stuck inside during the entire flight over an hour.
A spokesperson of the airline confirmed the incident and in a statement said, “On January 16, a passenger unfortunately got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock. 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.”
One handwritten note, passed on to the trapped passenger, read, “Sir we tried our best to open the door. However we could not open. Do not panic. We are landing in few minutes. So please close the commode and sit on it and secure yourself. As soon as the main door is open engineer will come. Do not panic.”
Upon the flight’s arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, an engineer was rushed to address the malfunctioning lavatory door, which was successfully opened with the help of the engineering team, according to the spokesperson.
SpiceJet added that passenger is being provided a full refund of the fare.