A bathroom break on a flight turned into a nightmare for one passenger who got stuck in the plane's restroom for the majority of his flight, the BBC reported.
On Tuesday, a SpiceJet flight left Mumbai for Bengaluru, India. Shortly after the plane operated by India's domestic airline jetted off, a passenger went inside the cabin's lavatory to use the restroom.
According to the BBC, the passenger could not exit the restroom and was stuck inside for about an hour of the one-hour-and-45-minute flight.
In a statement sent to The Independent and New Delhi Television, a Spicejet representative said the incident was "due to a malfunction in the door lock." The airline did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, which was sent outside regular business hours.
SpiceJet cabin crew realized the passenger was stuck after the "man's distress calls," the BBC reported. They were unable to unlock the door from outside the bathroom, according to the same source, and when the flight started its descent, the cabin crew communicated with the passenger via a handwritten note.
X user @iam_amangulati posted a copy of the note: "Sir we tried our best to open the door. However, we could not open. Do not panic, we are landing in a few mins, so please close the comode lid and sit on it and secure yourself. As soon as the main door is open, engineer will come. Do not panic."
The X user did not respond to BI's request for comment.
The note from the crew to the passenger locked on #Spicejet flight. #Avgeek #Aviation pic.twitter.com/pPrvXq8mJm
— Aman Gulati 🇮🇳 (@iam_amangulati) January 17, 2024
When the plane landed in Bengaluru, technicians arrived on board and unlocked the door, and the passenger disembarked the flight, the BBC reported.
"Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger," the airline's statement to the BBC reads. "Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door, and the passenger received immediate medical support."
An airline representative told the BBC that the passenger will receive a full refund for the flight.
