Passengers at Tokyo's Haneda Airport Terminal 2 faced discomfort on Friday as up to 70% of toilets became blocked. An airport operator attributed the issue to electrical problems with water supply pumps.
Tokyo International Airport, known as Haneda, saw major disruptions in Terminal 2's toilet facilities starting early Friday morning. A spokesperson for operator Japan Airport Terminal, speaking anonymously, pointed to electrical faults in the pumps that supply water to the restrooms as the root cause.
Staff were alerted around 5 a.m., and it took 11 hours to fully resolve the issue. By mid-afternoon, 51 out of 144 toilet areas remained affected. While running water was available at handwashing sinks, many toilets lacked it.
"Our staff directed guests to functioning toilets. In some cases, our staff used buckets to wash toilets after use," the spokesperson said. These measures helped manage the inconvenience for waiting passengers, though the incident highlighted vulnerabilities in airport infrastructure.
As one of the world's busiest airports, Haneda handles millions of travelers annually, making such breakdowns particularly disruptive to daily routines. The operator stressed the quick response but provided no further details on preventing future occurrences.