New Delhi: Choked aircraft toilets that have to be locked during flights to prevent passengers from using them are a common occurrence across airlines globally. But last Saturday, passengers on Air India’s London-Delhi flight had to bear the stench of an overflowing toilet as dirty water drenched the carpet in the economy cabin.
The saving grace was that the Dreamliner (VT-ANN) did not have a full load of passengers. This allowed the crew members to swiftly relocate passengers from the worst affected part of the economy section to other seats. The crew also covered the drenched part of the carpet with blankets and papers, and sprayed perfumes to make the long flight to Delhi bearable for the passengers.
An AI spokesman said: “We have investigated the matter and found that a towel was loaded in the left side toilet duct that caused the toilet to overflow inflight.”
Another AI official said the root cause of the issues was “passenger abuse”. “This happened in spite of cabin crew announcement about the hazard of duct clogging if items like towels are flushed in the lavatory. A problem like this can cause a lot of discomfort to other passengers and the crew.”
The problem on AI 112 started soon after the aircraft took off from London Heathrow for Delhi on February 9, with a slight delay due to technical reasons. Soon, the front left side toilet in economy class started overflowing.
While airlines — not just Air India — say “toilet abuse” with flyers flushing towels and other items causes choking, some AI insiders point fingers at the airline’s maintenance due to which the issue keeps happening on its aircraft. AI, on its part, denies the charge and said the toilets are serviced exactly like they are on any other ‘good’ airline.
13/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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The saving grace was that the Dreamliner (VT-ANN) did not have a full load of passengers. This allowed the crew members to swiftly relocate passengers from the worst affected part of the economy section to other seats. The crew also covered the drenched part of the carpet with blankets and papers, and sprayed perfumes to make the long flight to Delhi bearable for the passengers.
An AI spokesman said: “We have investigated the matter and found that a towel was loaded in the left side toilet duct that caused the toilet to overflow inflight.”
Another AI official said the root cause of the issues was “passenger abuse”. “This happened in spite of cabin crew announcement about the hazard of duct clogging if items like towels are flushed in the lavatory. A problem like this can cause a lot of discomfort to other passengers and the crew.”
The problem on AI 112 started soon after the aircraft took off from London Heathrow for Delhi on February 9, with a slight delay due to technical reasons. Soon, the front left side toilet in economy class started overflowing.
While airlines — not just Air India — say “toilet abuse” with flyers flushing towels and other items causes choking, some AI insiders point fingers at the airline’s maintenance due to which the issue keeps happening on its aircraft. AI, on its part, denies the charge and said the toilets are serviced exactly like they are on any other ‘good’ airline.
13/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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