Qantas flight forced to land with passenger locked inside toilet

Young air stewardess suffering from headache on an airplane.
By Christian Fleetwood


A Qantas flight has been forced to land with a woman locked inside a lavatory despite pleas to return to her seat.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are reportedly investigating the incident on flight QF44 that touched down in Sydney from Denpasar, Indonesia on Tuesday morning.

The Australian reported the woman entered the toilet during the aircraft’s descent into Sydney and remained inside the lavatory despite requests from cabin crew for her to return to her seat.

The plane was forced to land with the woman inside; once stationary, a flight attendant was forced to remove the door from its hinges to get the woman out.

She was not injured during the landing. Passengers on board were reportedly forced to wait while AFP officers were called to escort the woman from the plane.

“Qantas does not tolerate antisocial behaviour,” a spokesperson from the company told Travel Weekly.

“For the safety of themselves and others, it’s crucial passengers follow the instructions of our crew. We’d like to thank our crew for their efforts and the AFP for their assistance.”

In a statement to Travel Weekly, and AFP spokesperson confirmed that officers responded to a request for assistance at Sydney International Airport on Tuesday morning after a passenger on a flight from Denpasar “allegedly became disruptive”.

“AFP officers attended and removed the passenger from the aircraft,” the spokesperson said.

“The AFP is seeking a medical assessment of the passenger before proceeding with any possible charges.”

It remains unclear why she refused to come out of the toilet.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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