‘Pungent’ onions cause Air India flight diversion
A consignment of onions is being partly blamed for an Air India Express flight being diverted.
The Sharjah bound flight returned to Kochi after ‘pungent’ and ‘burning’ smells were detected in the cabin.
The flight deck was alerted by passengers, rather than a malfunction alert from the cockpit.
Several passengers complained about the smell.
The airline confirmed onions and other vegetables were being transported in the hold and this may have been the source of the odour.
It apologized to customers and re-accommodated them on a later flight.
In 2018, passengers in Indonesia refused to fly due a cargo shipment of the notorious Durian fruit.
Passengers succeeded in getting the two-ton shipment of Durian removed.
The so-called ‘king of fruits’ is a relatively expensive delicacy across Southeast Asia but is banned on most public transport and in public buildings.
The Durian’s highly potent smell can be very off-putting.
The smell has even triggered gas leak alerts at a block of flats in the UK and Germany, and at an Australian university campus.
The late food presenter Anthony Bourdain famously described the Durian’s smell as: ‘your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.’
Read Full Story
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026