Masks and fresheners on 5-hour flight as 'constant gas' stench causes biohazard scare

Passengers on a domestic plane in the United States faced a troublesome trip when someone inside the aircraft kept farting for the entire duration of the flight. For the five hours that the passengers were on board, the stench did not dissipate. It got so bad that the crew had to regularly spray air fresheners and also distribute face masks. Aeroplanes have modern aircraft filtration systems, but even they failed to get rid of the smell. Aircraft have high-efficiency particulate filters to provide passengers with fresh air. However, flights have a mix of fresh and recirculated air, with approximately 50 per cent fresh outside air and 50 per cent recirculated air.

How does air move inside aeroplanes?

According to View From The Wing, the air inside planes is fully refreshed every two to three minutes, meaning around 20 to 30 changes every hour. The idea is to reduce airborne particles and pathogens, to let passengers remain comfortable and breathe in clear air. However, this does not include gases or any kind of smell. Air inside planes moves from the ceiling vents down toward the floor, and not from front to back. This reduces the area that the same air covers, but also means that any kind of smell remains near its source for a longer time.

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What HEPA filters can and cannot do inside planes

Aeroplanes have HEPA filters which can effectively capture up to 99.97 per cent of dust, aerosols and bacteria, ensuring a clean space. Odour molecules are gases and do not get caught in the filter, and almost all of them pass through the filter. So the smell never goes away. Some planes have carbon-based filters that can help with odour. Experts say that flatulence increases on aeroplanes because of physiological changes.