A male passenger on a Mumbai-Bengaluru SpiceJet flight found himself trapped inside the lavatory for over an hour due to a malfunctioning lock, the airline reported on Wednesday. During the ordeal, the airline crew provided assistance and reassurance to the passenger through handwritten notes.
The incident occurred on January 16, as the flight took off at 2 am from Mumbai. The passenger, seated in the 14th row, entered the lavatory but was unable to exit due to the malfunctioning door lock.
In a statement, a SpiceJet spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating, “On 16 January, a passenger unfortunately got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on a SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock. 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 crew communicated with the trapped passenger via handwritten notes, reassuring him and instructing him to sit on the closed commode during landing. They assured him that an engineer would attend to the issue once the aircraft landed safely.
Upon landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, an engineer promptly addressed the malfunctioning lavatory door, successfully opening it with the assistance of the engineering team.
SpiceJet expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to the passenger and announced that a full refund of the fare would be provided to him.