Crew forced to manually scoop waste on ‘distressing’ Freo Dockers flight following toilet malfunction

Cabin crew members were forced to manually scoop human waste whilst passengers had to urinate in basins during a ‘distressing flight’.

AFL club the Fremantle Dockers were just half an hour into their chartered National Jet Express flight between Launceston and their return to Perth on Saturday evening when the plane ran out of water.

The lack of water meant that the toilets were no longer functional on the more than 6-hour flight.

The situation meant that staff were forced to manually scoop toilet waste and also deal with urine in the basins.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) was alarmed that both the passengers and cabin crew had to navigate such unhygienic conditions.

TWU Western Australia state secretary Tim Dawson said the “utterly unacceptable” incident “demonstrates a glaring neglect of duty of care” to all onboard the plane.

“Our cabin crew members should not be subjected to such hazardous working conditions, and passengers should not have to endure such distressing experiences,” he said.

“This incident highlights the critical necessity for health and safety representatives and to have a strong voice for workers to report these incidences before the plane is in the air.

“We are committed to fighting for the rights and safety of our cabin crew members, and we need to make sure preventable incidents like these don’t happen again.”

The TWU reportedly contacted National Jet Express which has agreed to collaborate with the union in investigating the incident.

A National Jet Express spokesperson confirmed it would address all failings.

“NJE is aware of the situation on-board a Launceston to Perth charter flight recently and is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to ensure any failings are addressed immediately,” the spokesperson said.

“Crew and passenger welfare is of the utmost importance and as such we are taking this matter very seriously.”

Feature image: iStock