A CLAUSTROPHOBIC air passenger was left in a “state of shock” after becoming trapped in a plane’s toilet for his entire flight across India.
The man had gone to use the lavatory shortly after his SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru had taken off when the door’s lock malfunctioned.
GettyThe man was on board a domestic SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Benglauru when disaster struck[/caption]
The flight, which typically takes 105 minutes, departed at 10.55pm on Monday and it wasn’t until it landed at 3.42am on Tuesday that the passenger was rescued.
Upon hearing the man’s cries for help, panicked staff had tried to release him from the tiny lavatory but were unable to get the door, or lock, to wedge.
As a result, he even had to endure the landing trapped inside the cramped space.
SpiceJet issued an apology, saying it regretted the “convenience caused to the passenger”.
The airline also confirmed that they would provide him a full refund.
“Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger,” a SpiceJet spokesperson told the BBC.
“Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door and the passenger received immediate medical support.”
The airline declined to share more details of the passenger but one report claims the man was left in a “state of shock”.
He was also provided with first aid by medics.
“‘It was known that the passenger on 14D seat had gone to the toilet soon after takeoff and the seatbelt signs went off,” an unnamed official at Bengaluru airport told the Times of India.
“The poor man flew from Mumbai to Bengaluru inside the toilet and, shockingly, landed trapped inside the tiny lavatory.”
In order to help the man calm down after failing to rescue him, an air hostess slipped him a note through a gap under the door.
It reportedly read: “Sir, we tried our best to open the door…Do not panic. 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, engineer will come.”
The incident happened to take place at the same time as flights were being disrupted across India.
Dense fog covering the north of the country delayed as many as 109 flights from Delhi’s airport, while 19 were cancelled, aviation website Flightradar24 showed.
Low visibility resulting from the fog has caused widespread air traffic chaos this week, although furious passengers have accused airlines and airports of inadequate communication.
Elsewhere, two passenger planes collided at an airport in Japan on Tuesday – weeks after five were left dead in another crash.
The Korean Air and Cathay Pacific planes came into contact at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido at 5.30pm local time.
And an easyJet flight from Gatwick Airport veered off a runway just seconds after landing in Iceland before it skidded onto a verge on Sunday.
Bosses blamed bad weather for the terrifying incident, although passengers were still able to disembark.
AFPDramatic weather conditions across northern India resulted in more than 100 disrupted flights on Tuesday[/caption]
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