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.
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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.¡±
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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.
¡°The foul-smelling liquid started flowing on to the carpet in economy class. The crew quickly covered the carpet with available newspapers and blankets, and sprayed deodorants and personal perfumes to dilute the unbearable stench. Passengers were seen covering their mouth and head with jackets and shawls,¡± said a person who witnessed the situation.
While airlines ¡ª not just Air India ¡ª 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.
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AI, on its part, denies the charge and said the toilets are serviced exactly like they are on any other ¡®good¡¯ airline.
¡°This problem happened on a flight out of London Heathrow. The same ground agencies that prepare aircraft of other airlines serviced our aircraft as well. This problem happened due to toilet abuse, nothing else,¡± an AI official said.
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While the overflowing toilet may have been a one-off issue, regular flyers of AI¡¯s long hauls have long had one big complaint with the airline ¡ª several back-of-seat inflight entertainment (IFE) systems do not work, which are a necessity to survive long flights. This comes at a time when most big international airlines offer onboard WiFi.
AI has drawn up a list of IFEs that need to be replaced and repaired to revamp the aircraft interiors. As a back-up, AI plans to acquire over 100 iPads for business class passengers on ultra-long haul flights whose IFE screens are not working.