Toilet turmoil: Over 140 loos at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport go offline, leaving fliers in holding pattern
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Up to 70 per cent of toilets at Terminal 2 of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were reportedly hit by a plumbing problem on Nov 28.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Passengers faced an uncomfortable wait for their flights at one of the world’s busiest airports on Nov 28, with up to 70 per cent of toilets at Terminal 2 of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport reportedly blocked.
A spokesman for the airport operator confirmed the plumbing problem and said that by mid-afternoon, 51 of the 144 toilet areas were still affected.
The cause was electrical problems with pumps supplying water to the facilities, the spokesman for Japan Airport Terminal said.
“We were notified by a staff member around 5am (4am, Singapore time)”, and the problem took 11 hours to resolve, the spokesman said.
“Running water was available at sinks, where people wash their hands, but not at many toilets.”
He added: “Our staff directed our guests to functioning toilets. In some cases, our staff used buckets to wash toilets after use.”
Airport employees notified passengers by putting up posters and asked them to use employee toilets.
In a 2019 incident, water supply to the terminal was shut down due to salt contamination. AFP, KYODO NEWS
