Crappy landings.
An AirAsia plane had to be disinfected and deep-cleaned after a female passenger allegedly pooped in her seat on a flight from Malaysia to China. The odiferous incident came to light after fellow flyers raised a stink on Chinese social media.
Flight AK1516 had departed Kota Kinabalu at around 10:30pm on August 18 and was slated to touch down in Shanghai at roughly 3am the following morning, VN Express International reported.
Just 40 minutes before landing, passengers noticed a terrible smell wafting about the cabin, Asia One reported. The stench was reportedly so overpowering that it forced many of the flyers awake.
A fly-witness surnamed Zhao identified the culprit as a woman in her 40s, who was sitting between two boys, according to local outlets.
“It was just before 2 a.m. and we were all asleep,” he recalled. “She hurried toward the toilet carrying a bag.”
Passengers initially assumed she was going to vomit but the “strange smell” indicated was not the case.
That’s when they noticed fecal matter splattered on the aisle rug and on the woman’s seat. When confronted by angry passengers, she said was feeling unwell.
However, they found this explanation bizarre given that the lavatory was less than 15 feet away and had not yet been shuttered for landing.
A crew member wiped the area with tissues and sprayed air freshener, but it did nothing to mask the scent.
As a result, passengers were forced to sit in the smell for an excruciating 40 minutes, which was exacerbated by the fact that they’d switched off the air conditioning for landing.
In a statement, AirAsia reps said they flagged the malodorous situation to the Captain and ground crews, who boarded and disinfected the area after the passengers had deplaned.
Crew members operating the return flight were also made aware of the condition of the cabin.
AirAsia China general manager Frank Tang Ting praised the crew members for their “professionalism, composure and rapid response” to the revolting ordeal, claiming that they “remained focused on ensuring passenger safety” despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
“Passenger safety and well-being are our top priority,” he added. “We appreciate the passengers’ understanding in the face of this unexpected situation.”
