Passenger trapped in SpiceJet plane toilet for over an hour
A passenger on a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru found themselves stuck in the airplane's restroom for over an hour due to a door lock malfunction. The passenger could be rescued only after the plane landed in Bengaluru, and an engineer managed to unlock the door. The airline has since apologized for the incident and offered a full refund for the passenger's ticket.
Crew attempts to help
Despite the crew's efforts to unlock the door from the outside, they were unable to free the trapped 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," the airline explained. A photo of a note allegedly written by the crew for the passenger has gone viral, but its authenticity remains unconfirmed.
Photo of the purported note went viral
SpiceJet apologises, offers passenger full refund
Apologizing for the inconvenience caused to the passenger, SpiceJet expressed regret. The airlines also issued a statement saying that the passenger will get a full refund on his airfare, NDTV reported. "On 16 January, 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," a statement from the airlines read.
Incident comes amid recent airline service issues
This event occurs amid growing criticism toward airline service providers for various reasons. Winter weather in northern India has led to numerous flight delays, with passengers voicing complaints about poor communication and insufficient support from airlines. Recently, a pilot was assaulted by a passenger on an IndiGo flight while explaining reasons for a delay. In another incident, a 17-hour delay resulted in passengers eating their meals on the runway as they awaited their journey's start.