Pilots put on oxygen masks, declare emergency due to smelly fruit

The Air Canada plane was diverted back to Vancouver.

Pilots declared an in-flight emergency and donned oxygen masks after a shipment of "the world's smelliest fruit " became unbearable.

The Air Canada pilots on flight ROU1566 eventually returned to Vancouver as the stench persisted.

They had declared Pan Pan, the second highest level of emergency. It is used for situations deemed serious but not life-threatening.

The 245 passengers and eight crew had hoped to reach Montreal on September 17 but their journey was cut short after 37 minutes.

An incident report issued by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said no one was hurt during the bizarre incident.

But the odour came from a shipment of durian, a tropical fruit known for being "the world's smelliest fruit".

The unique smell has been known to trigger powerful disgust responses in others, with their smell being likened to rotting onions, turpentine, and even raw sewage.

Air Canada has been approached for comment.

It comes after an Indonesian plane was grounded after the smell of durian reportedly sparked a brawl in the cabin.

In this case, the fruit was said to have been stored in the forward cargo hold of the plane.

After landing, the shipment was offloaded with the aircraft returning to service 20 hours after the original departure time.