A British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dubai was forced to return to London on Thursday after a passenger smeared faeces in a toilet, causing a pungent smell that raised health and safety concerns.
Passenger Abhishek Sachdev said the captain announced a 'quite pungent smell' from one of the toilets, describing it as 'liquid faecal excrement'. The plane turned back just 30 minutes into the seven-hour flight.
Sarah, a BA employee, explained that at altitude the cabin is pressurised and only about half the air is recycled, making such contamination a health and safety issue.
The next available flight was not for 15 hours, so BA provided hotel accommodation for passengers overnight. A BA spokesperson said the decision to return was made for 'the safety and comfort of our customers'.
