We’ve heard some wild travel stories in our time — from the man who urinated all over business class to a Chinese time traveller waxing lyrical mid-flight — but this might just be one of the funniest to date…

Back in 2018, a Transavia Airlines flight from Dubai to Amsterdam was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Vienna Airport due to a so-called ‘disruptive dispute’ among passengers. The cause? A fellow passenger’s relentless flatulence…

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According to Dutch media reports, translated and republished by The Standard, two Dutchmen seated next to a flagrantly flatulent passenger repeatedly asked him to cease his… emissions. However, the man refused to hold it in and so the dispute rapidly escalated, with airline staff failing to address the rapidly growing discontent among passengers across the cabin.

Before long tensions reached breaking point and a heated altercation involving the three men prompted the pilot to make a forced, unplanned landing in Vienna. The dispute had reached such a fever pitch that police were called to meet the plane on the tarmac and then removed two men and two women from the plane.

Although all four passengers were ultimately released without charges, Transavia Airlines banned them from future travel with the carrier. Surprisingly and frustratingly for them, the passenger responsible for the disruptive flatulence was allowed to remain on board. Transavia Airlines was quick to emphasise its commitment to passenger safety, with a spokesperson saying this:

“[This event was] unacceptable. Our crew must ensure a safe flight. When passengers pose risks, they immediately intervene. Our people are trained for that. They know very well where the boundaries are. Transavia is therefore square behind the cabin crew and the pilots.”

Transavia Airlines Spokesperson

Flatulence & Flying

You may be wondering what caused the foul flatulence in the first place and, though it may have been caused by factors that began long before the passenger in question arrived at the airport, a fascinating little article from Escape delves into the effect that flying can have on one’s bowels and, as a result, their gaseous emissions.

The confined space of an aircraft, coupled with recirculated air and prepackaged meals that deviate pretty massively from most people’s usual feed creates an environment conducive to gas. Referred to by scientists as High Altitude Flatus Expulsion (HAFE), the root of the phenomenon lies in the decreasing air pressure at higher altitudes, causing gases in the bowel to expand and subsequently… release.

What’s more is that a swift transition from low to high altitudes may hinder carbon dioxide dissolution in the bloodstream, redirecting it into the bowel and, once again, inducing increased flatulence. Anxiety, often an unwelcome companion during air travel, exacerbates the issue. Calm Clinic notes a definitive link between stress and gas.

Whatever the real root cause and whatever you choose to blame, there’s no denying that it’s far from a pleasant experience when you get sat near an affected fellow traveller. The sad moral of this story, however, seems to be that the best thing you can do is stay quiet and, forgive me, suck it up.