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Virgin Australia apologizes after broken toilets force passengers to use bottles mid-flight

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Virgin Australia apologizes after broken toilets force passengers to use bottles mid-flight
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CEO Kelly Ortberg | Boeing

Passengers on a Virgin Australia flight from Bali to Brisbane were asked to relieve themselves in bottles after all of the aircraft’s lavatories became inoperative during the journey. The incident occurred on August 28, 2025, aboard a Boeing 737 MAX 8, according to reports by local Australian media.

The flight departed Denpasar International Airport with one rear toilet already out of service. Limited engineering support at the airport prevented repairs before departure, and the airline decided not to delay or cancel the flight. Midway through the five-hour trip, two additional lavatories failed, leaving passengers without any functioning toilets for approximately three hours.

A passenger told The Australian that “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.” Virgin Australia issued an apology following the incident: “A flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight, which affected the serviceability of the lavatories. We sincerely [apologize] 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.”

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Some travelers described distressing conditions inside the cabin after it became clear there would be no access to working toilets for several hours. One elderly woman reportedly wet herself because she could not wait any longer. An image shared with local media showed toilets filled with urine and used paper; passengers also said urine began leaking onto the floor as a foul odor spread throughout the plane.

Emily McMillan, National Assistant Secretary of Australia’s Transport Workers' Union, called it “a serious health hazard for both crew and passengers,” adding that aviation workers face growing risks as companies focus more on profits than performance.

Typically, if all onboard toilets fail during a commercial flight, pilots may choose to divert and land at another airport depending on circumstances such as distance remaining and passenger needs. In this case, however, Virgin Australia did not divert; reasons for this decision have not yet been disclosed by airline officials who say they are investigating.

A similar event occurred earlier in March 2025 when an Air India long-haul flight returned to its origin after most lavatories clogged due to improper disposal of items by passengers (https://simpleflying.com/air-india-boeing-777-chicago-return-clogged-toilets/). That episode reignited discussion online about proper bathroom etiquette while flying.

Virgin Australia has stated it will offer compensation credits to those affected by last week’s disrupted service.

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