An Indonesian plane was temporarily grounded after passengers complained about an overwhelming smell of durian in the cabin.
Around two tonnes of durian, the world’s stinkiest fruit, was in the cargo hold of the Sriwijaya Air flight, bound for Jakarta from Bengkulu.
Passengers demanded that the fruit be removed, with some almost coming to blows with crew members.
The airline eventually relented and unloaded sacks of the durian fruit.
The flight eventually took off around 11:40am local time (04:40 GMT), an hour later than scheduled.
Sriwajiya Air later said the airline was well within its rights to carry the stinky fruit in cargo.
“It’s not illegal to carry durian in a flight as long as it is wrapped properly in accordance with flight regulations – carried inside the hold. Many airlines do this,” senior corporate communications manager Retri Maya said in a statement to the Jakarta Post. Read more
