Better Go Before You Go

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PHXPhlyer
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Better Go Before You Go

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Nov 13, 2022 4:54 pm

Jet2 Airbus A321 Diverted To Bilbao So Passengers Could Go To The Toilet
The plane was on the ground for over two hours before continuing the flight.

https://simpleflying.com/jet2-airbus-a3 ... rs-toilet/

A Jet2 flight from Las Palmas to Manchester was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Bilbao so that passengers could go to the bathroom. The Airbus A321s onboard lavatories were out of order and it spent two hours on the ground before continuing to Manchester.

Jet2 flight diverts due to broken toilets
Jet2.com flight LS782 from Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) to Manchester Airport (MAN) departed the Spanish airport at 17:03 UTC, approximately one hour later than its scheduled departure time. As the aircraft cruised towards the Bay of Biscay off Northern Spain, it made a sharp turn east before circling and landing at Bilbao Airport (BIO) at 19:12.

Unfortunately for Jet2 and its passengers, the Airbus A321s lavatories were not in working order. The plane landed in Bilbao in order to let passengers off to use the bathroom approximately two hours after taking off.


The aircraft, which has four lavatories, reportedly needed its toilet tank emptied. There were over 200 passengers onboard the 220-seater A321, the majority of which stayed on the plane while it remained grounded for approximately two hours.

A spokesperson for Jet2.com said,

"Flight LS782 from Gran Canaria to Manchester was diverted to Bilbao yesterday so that the toilet tank could be emptied. Customers remained onboard, before the flight took off again to Manchester. As an award-winning airline, the comfort and well-being of our customers is of paramount importance to us; however, we apologise if this caused any inconvenience."

Jet2 Airbus A321 - G-HLYB
The aircraft involved is an eight-year-old Airbus A321-200 (registration: G-HLYB) that has spent less than a year at Jet2. The A321 arrived on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) in December 2021 following five years of service under Thomas Cook Airlines between 2014 and 2019.

The plane was ready to resume Flight LS782 following its spell on the ground at Bilbao, taking off at 21:20 before arriving in Manchester at 23:01, representing a delay of around two hours.

What are the rules on toilets?
Questions will be asked about why exactly Jet2 diverted to Bilbao, given it was already halfway towards reaching its destination. The diversion will have cost the airline several thousands in fuel and airport fees, although it won't have to shell out compensation on this occasion.

Was the airline required by law to divert as it had no working lavatories onboard? Apparently not. While lavatories are part of the minimum equipment list (MEL) for commercial aircraft, The Independent states that "there appears to be no statutory requirement for a passenger aircraft to have working toilets."

PP

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