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Passengers aboard a Virgin Australia flight from Bali to Brisbane were forced to urinate in bottles after the toilets malfunctioned mid-air. The six-hour journey on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 began from Denpasar on Thursday afternoon. However, the issues reportedly began before the departure.
According to The Sun, one of the rear lavatories was out of order even before takeoff. Despite the fault, the flight proceeded as scheduled due to a lack of engineering support in Bali. The remaining lavatories also failed mid-flight, leaving passengers without access to working toilets for the final three hours of the journey.
With no alternatives, passengers were forced to improvise. Some used bottles to relieve themselves, while others endured the discomfort until the plane landed in Queensland. “One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public,” a passenger told The Australian. “Midway through the flight, every toilet failed.”
Several passengers described the situation as “degrading” and “deeply uncomfortable,” as they endured an overpowering odor as urine seeped into the floor throughout the cabin.
“The cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles,” another passenger said. “It was degrading and distressing, especially for elderly passengers.”
Virgin Australia has since confirmed the incident and issued an apology. In a statement reported by the New York Post, the airline said, “A Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories. We sincerely apologise to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board.”
The airline also stated that affected passengers would receive credit for the disrupted flight and would be contacted individually with further updates.
