Virgin Australia plane forced to fly back to LA after passengers complain of 'unbearable smell' from leaking toilets
The airline said passengers' claims of human waste are 'completely incorrect'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Passengers on board a Virgin Australia plane said that the aircraft was forced to turn back yesterday after leaking sinks left the cabin smelling "unbearable".
The company denied claims that the Sydney-bound aircraft departing from Los Angeles had to return due to leakage from toilets and said engineers confirmed that the overflow was coming from two sinks.
Travellers claimed that toilet waste was making its way down the aisle and was visible from their seats. However the company said that the assertions are "completely incorrect".
Passenger Julia Malley, talking to New Zealand radio show host Chris Lynch on Newstalk ZB, said: "The bathroom just exploded, I'm not even exaggerating."
Within five minutes of takeoff, the whole plane was filled with an "overwhelming smell" and flight crew announced that they were turning back to Los Angeles three hours into the flight, she said on-air from a hotel room in California.
Flight VA2 was scheduled to continue its journey to the New Zealand city of Christchurch after a stop-off in Sydney but landed back on US soil at 4am local time yesterday morning after departing the night before at 9.50pm.
Passengers were put up in hotels and were hoping to know when they could restart their disrupted journeys by the late afternoon.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said in a statement: "In accordance with standard operating procedures, the Captain made the decision to return to port as a precautionary measure after two of the sinks on board were leaking.
"Reports of human waste in the aisle are incorrect. The safety of the aircraft was never in question."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments