In January 2024, an American Airlines flight was going from Phoenix to Austin in the United States. One passenger kept farting repeatedly and started arguing with other passengers. A witness wrote on Reddit that the passenger said, “You thought that was rude? Well how about this smell,” and then farted. As the argument got worse, the plane was heading toward the runway but turned back to the gate. A flight attendant told the passenger he would not be staying on this flight. The passenger got off quietly. The flight left 15-30 minutes late. The airline made it clear that the main reason was not just the smell but the disruption and rude language.

In 2006, on another American Airlines flight, a woman passenger lit matches to hide the smell of her fart. The crew smelled something burning and made an emergency landing in Nashville. They checked the luggage and used dogs to search. The woman faced no criminal charges, but the airline banned her permanently.

In 2018, on a Transavia Airlines flight from Dubai to Amsterdam, one passenger kept farting continuously. Two Dutch passengers sitting nearby asked him to stop. The argument turned into a fight. The pilot made an emergency landing in Vienna. Police came and took off four passengers (including two sisters). The irony was that the passenger who was farting was not removed. The airline banned all four from future flights. Later, the two sisters also filed a lawsuit.

In March 2026, Colombian influencer Yeferson Cossio used a fart machine (a device that makes fake fart sounds and smells) on an Avianca Airlines flight from Bogotá to Madrid. This happened over the Atlantic Ocean where an emergency landing was difficult. The airline said it went against safety, comfort, and discipline. He was banned and the airline talked about legal action.

These incidents happened in different countries—America, the Netherlands/Austria route, and Colombia-Spain. There is no single country or single law. Most airlines take action under their “contract of carriage” or passenger agreement. It says the passenger’s behaviour should not affect safety, comfort, order, or discipline. Many airlines also treat “offensive odour” as a reason to remove someone. WestJet and Air Canada in Canada clearly write this. In India, under DGCA rules, action like a ban of up to 30 days is possible for misbehaviour, but there is no separate law just for farting.

The gas that comes out of the body (fart) cannot be completely stopped. It is a normal body process. An average person releases gas 10-20 times a day. At high altitude, the pressure is lower so the volume of gas increases. That is why the problem feels worse on a plane. Scientific studies show there is not a big difference in amount between men and women, but women’s gas often smells stronger.

Some ways to control it are possible. Eat fewer gas-producing foods like lentils, cabbage, onion, soda, and dairy products. Eat slowly and avoid swallowing too much air. Regular exercise and probiotics can help. Some people take activated charcoal supplements that absorb the smell. But it is hard to stop completely on a plane. Doctors advise letting it out when needed because holding it in can cause stomach pain. Pilots are sometimes given the same advice so they do not get distracted.

On an airplane the space is closed and part of the air is recirculated. So the smell spreads. Crew often use air fresheners or masks. If a passenger does it on purpose again and again, argues, or uses a machine, it is treated as disruptive behaviour. For a natural one-time or two-time incident, usually nothing happens.

Internationally these incidents are rare but spread fast because of social media. In most cases the airline gives priority to safety and the comfort of other passengers. Pilots and crew are trained on when to step in. If the situation gets worse, the plane can return to the gate or make an emergency landing.

In India also, many cases of misbehaviour on flights have come up, but major cases linked to farting are few. Action is mostly taken in cases of urinating, spitting, or fighting. DGCA and airlines make sure passengers follow the code of conduct.

From the body’s point of view, farting is a natural process. Instead of treating it as shameful, we should understand it. But in a closed space it is also important to think about others. If there is a medical problem, consult a doctor. Before travel, eating light food and drinking more water can help.

These incidents make it clear that the news is not baseless. Such events happened at different times and places. The main issue was behaviour and disruption more than the smell itself. Airlines look after both passenger safety and comfort. There is no special “fart law”—normal rules about misbehaviour and the contract apply.

Advice for passengers is to stay calm on the plane, think about others, and talk to the crew if there is any problem. Using fake devices or deliberately creating trouble just to go viral can prove harmful.

In the end, even small things can become big problems during air travel. Arguments about a natural process like farting grow when arguing or rude behaviour is added. With correct information and understanding, such situations can be avoided. These incidents from around the world remind us that both discipline and tolerance are needed in a closed space.

Which law applies on international flights?

On international flights the matter can be more complicated. Here the Tokyo Convention 1963 and the later Montréal Protocol 2014 are important.

According to ICAO, the aim of the Montréal Protocol 2014 was to strengthen the legal system for dealing with unruly and disruptive passenger incidents on aircraft. This Protocol came into force on 1 January 2020.

In the old system, the jurisdiction of the country where the aircraft was registered was often important. This could create a situation where the plane landed in another country but local authorities had problems with the right to take action.

The Montréal Protocol strengthened the arrangement to also give jurisdiction to the landing state and the state of the operator in some situations.

So the answer to which law will apply to a passenger’s action on an international flight cannot be given only by “the country the plane took off from” or “where the plane landed.”

It depends on many things like aircraft registration, operator, route, landing location, and whether the related countries have applied the international treaties.

But how can a person stop farting?

This question is perhaps the most interesting part of the whole story. Can a person always stop the gas coming out of their body?

Farting, or flatulence, is a normal body process. Gas forms in our digestive system and comes out of the body. According to the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), gas can come from swallowed air and from bacteria in the large intestine breaking down undigested carbohydrates.

According to NIDDK, people can pass gas on average about 8 to 14 times a day, and up to 25 times a day can still be considered within the normal range.

So a passenger on a plane suddenly releasing gas is not an unusual event by itself.The UK’s NHS also treats flatulence as a normal body process and says every person passes gas.

Some people can hold the gas for a short time because the muscles around the anus help control it. Information from Cambridge University Hospitals says bowel-control exercises can strengthen these muscles and improve the ability to hold gas in some people.

But this does not mean every person can hold gas all the time.

In some people gas can come out suddenly and involuntarily. Digestive problems, IBS, constipation, lactose intolerance, or other conditions can increase gas problems.

That is why blaming a passenger just because gas came out of their body involuntarily would not be fair from either medical science or normal human behaviour.

Why can gas feel worse on a plane?

Sitting for a long time on a plane, limited space, and food can make some people feel more bloating or gas problems.

Main reasons for gas formation include eating too fast, fizzy drinks, chewing gum, some carbohydrates, and foods that the small intestine cannot fully digest. Bacteria in the large intestine produce gas while breaking them down.

So eating a lot of carbonated drinks, beans, some vegetables, or foods that normally cause gas before a flight can make the problem worse.

The NHS also advises smaller meals, eating slowly, and limiting some gas-producing foods to reduce the problem.

Is holding gas always safe?

Sometimes holding gas for a short time is normally possible, but forcing yourself to hold it for a long time may not be comfortable for a person.

If someone has continuous excessive gas, stomach pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, or weight loss, they should consult a doctor. Both NIDDK and NHS say to seek medical advice with such symptoms.

So during air travel, if a person has gas problems, practical ways are to eat light food before the flight, eat slowly, reduce fizzy drinks, and pay attention to the body’s normal needs.

So what is the real truth of the viral news?

After full checking, the conclusion is that saying “a passenger is permanently banned from air travel just for farting” is wrong.

In the 2018 Transavia incident, after complaints about gas release there was an argument and fight. The plane landed in Vienna and four passengers were taken off, but according to available reports the person releasing gas was not among them.

In the 2024 American Airlines incident, the Phoenix to Austin flight returned to the gate and the related passenger was taken off the plane. But later an airline representative said he was not removed only because of farting; alleged disruptive behaviour and profanity were also part of the case.

So calling the headline “passenger removed from plane for farting” is attractive but not completely accurate.

Proper journalism would say—two well-known incidents related to gas release on planes came up, but in both cases the real basis for action was not only releasing gas.

In one case the argument about gas turned into a fight, and in the other case alleged improper and disruptive behaviour also came along with the gas release.

International aviation law gives airlines and pilots enough powers to maintain safety and order. But a normal body function cannot be treated as a crime by itself.

The most important lesson from this whole story is that polite behaviour is necessary on a plane, but calling normal biological processes of the human body a crime is also not right.

A passenger should not deliberately trouble others, should follow the crew’s instructions, and should avoid arguments. On the other side, airline action should also be based on actual behaviour, safety, health, and applicable rules.

So if somewhere the claim goes viral that “someone was banned from air travel around the world because of farting,” publishing it without context would not be correct. From available reliable reports it is clear that flights have been affected and passengers have been removed because of disputes related to flatulence, but the legal basis for action is usually disruptive behaviour, safety, order, or other applicable conditions—not simply gas coming out of the body.