An elderly Virgin passenger reportedly wet herself as other travellers were forced to urinate in bottles after the plane toilets malfunctioned mid-flight.
The drama unfolded during a six-hour flight from Denpasar, Indonesia, to Brisbane on Thursday.
The rear toilet was already out of service before the flight departed because engineers were not able to fix the problem due to limited support services on the ground in Bali.
The remaining two toilets on the Boeing 737 MAX stopped working mid-flight.
‘One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public,’ one passenger told The n.
‘Midway through the flight, every toilet failed. For the remaining three hours, the cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or ‘on top of whatever was already in the toilet’.’
A foul smell entered the cabin as urine trickled throughout the plane, according to the passenger, who described the situation as an ‘absolute disgrace’ and fundamental failure of duty of care.
‘Children were crying, elderly passengers distressed, and many travellers visibly upset at the lack of dignity and sanitation,” he added.
Virgin has since apologised to passengers, who will all be contacted directly and offered refunds.
‘A Virgin flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We sincerely apologise to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board.
‘We will be crediting guests for the Denpasar to Brisbane flight and we are proactively reaching out to them to provide this update.’
Daily Mail has contacted Virgin for further comment.
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has demanded answers from the airline with regard to the ‘distressing event, which constitutes a severe hazard both for the crew and passengers’.
‘Across the board, aviation workers are dealing with increasing risks to their health and safety at work, with an industry-wide trend towards profits over performance,’ TWU national assistant secretary Emily McMillan told Seven News.
‘We need to see decisions made in the interest of public and workers, not just prioritise getting planes out to maximise profits at the expense of the community.’