Why Smoking Was Banned On Planes



On July 11, 1973, Varig Flight 820, a Brazilian airliner, departed from Galeão International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, destined for Orly Airport in Paris, France. Flight 820's problems began when a fire started in a rear bathroom. Crew members moved to the front of the plane toward the emergency exit, as many passengers in the rear of the plane inhaled smoke. Prior to the forced landing, many of the passengers had already died of carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. The aircraft landed in a field 3 miles short of the runway at Orly Airport, in a full-flap and gear-down configuration. Of the 134 passengers and crew aboard the flight, only 10 crew members and one passenger survived. An investigation determined that a trash can in the bathroom had caught fire after a lit cigarette was tossed into it. Consequently, the FAA issued a ruling prohibiting smoking in airplane bathrooms. It wasn’t, however, until February 25, 1990 that smoking became prohibited on U.S. domestic airline flights. Some airlines, like Aeroflot, Condor, Iberia and Garuda still allow smoking on some flights.