- By Supratik Das
- Sat, 30 Aug 2025 11:26 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A Virgin Australia aircraft flight from Bali to Brisbane became a nightmarish experience on Thursday when the toilets of all on board malfunctioned mid-air, compelling passengers to urinate in bottles during the six-hour flight.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane had supposedly left Denpasar in the afternoon, even though engineers had detected problems with the rear lavatories before takeoff. With no maintenance service at Bali airport, Virgin Australia cleared the flight for takeoff. But midway through the journey, the remaining lavatories also became inoperative, leaving more than 170 passengers without any functioning toilets. For the final three hours of the flight, the passengers were without proper hygiene facilities. Some urinated in plastic bottles, while others waited anxiously and ended up in agony waiting for the plane to reach Brisbane. The experience, which various passengers have termed "humiliating and degrading," soon became intolerable as the smell of urine permeated the cabin.
An elderly woman is said to have wet her clothes, with other passengers describing the experience as "distressing." A passenger told The Australian, “The cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or use the toilets on top of whatever was already there. It was disgusting and humiliating, especially for the elderly who couldn’t hold on.” Cabin staff on board said they did everything they could to cope with the bizarre emergency, but acknowledged that there was not much they could do after the last functioning toilet malfunctioned. Passengers noted that the smell soon spread throughout the plane, providing an unsanitary and uncomfortable environment for the rest of the flight.
The Australian Transport Workers' Union (TWU) has denounced the episode as a cause of grave concern for health and safety. "This was a distressful incident, which presents a grave danger to crew and passengers alike," a TWU spokesperson was cited by local media as having spoken. The union confirmed that it had made representations to Virgin Australia regarding concerns about the issue.
Virgin Australia Issues Apology, Offers Compensation
Following widespread criticism, Virgin Australia made a public apology. In an address to news.com.au, a spokesman stated, "A Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening encountered an issue during flight which impacted the serviceability of the lavatories.". We deeply apologize to our passengers and thank our crew for handling a difficult situation on board." The airline has stated that all travelers affected by the toilet breakdown will be offered travel credits and will be contacted individually. The incident, however, has raised new controversy on whether airlines can operate long-haul flights when the toilets are already not working at the time of departure.
This is not the first such incident involving an airline and malfunctioning toilets. Last month, an Air India flight to the US was diverted after the toilets blocked in mid-air, with passengers denouncing the airline for "sheer embarrassing mismanagement."
The stricken Virgin Australia flight landed in Brisbane at the end of Thursday night, marking the end of what many said was the most uncomfortable flight of their lives. Some of the passengers were shocked on social media, asking how an overseas six-hour service was allowed to depart Bali with dysfunctional lavatories. "This was meant to be a holiday flight, but it ended with passengers having to pee in bottles like convicts. I have never been so embarrassed," said one passenger in an online post.