Airplane passenger becomes stuck inside bathroom for nearly entire flight after door malfunction: report
SpiceJet crew reportedly slips passenger note saying ‘Do not panic’
A traveler says he is "traumatized, dazed and injured" after spending nearly the entirety of a domestic flight in India stuck inside a SpiceJet airplane bathroom following a door malfunction, reports say.
The low-cost Indian airline said the incident happened Tuesday on a Mumbai to Bengaluru flight that lasted around one hour and 45 minutes, according to The India Express.
The newspaper, citing sources at Kempegowda International Airport where the flight landed, said the passenger went to use the bathroom shortly after the plane took off and attempts to open the door from the outside by the crew and other travelers were unsuccessful.
"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," SpiceJet told the newspaper, noting that there was a "malfunction in the door lock."
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A SpiceJet plane on the tarmac at Delhi Airport in India on Dec. 13, 2023. (Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via / Getty Images)
"SpiceJet regrets and apologizes for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. The passenger is being provided a full refund," it added, noting that he spent about an hour inside the bathroom.
The 37-year-old passenger later told The Times of India, "I was traumatized, dazed and injured as I was thrown around inside the toilet as the plane landed in Bengaluru."
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A SpiceJet plane in New Delhi, India, in 2013. The airline said the incident in which a passenger was stuck in an aircraft bathroom happened on Tuesday. (Ramesh Pathania/Mint via / Getty Images)
He is now considering legal action against SpiceJet, the newspaper also reported.
At one point during the flight, the crew slipped the trapped passenger a note under the bathroom door, according to The India Express.
The passenger was freed from the airplane bathroom after landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India. (Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via / Getty Images)
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"Sir we tried our best to open the door, however, we could not. Do not panic," the note reportedly said. "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, an engineer will come."