Indonesian plane is grounded and fights break out over the smell of stinky fruit in the cabin

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An Indonesian flight was delayed after some complained of the smell of durian
Passengers left the aircraft and refused to reenter until the fruit was removed
Two tonnes of the durian fruit were eventually removed from the cargo hold
Sriwijaya Air justified its decision to carry the fruit by saying it was not illegal
Some passengers feared the durian fruit posed a safety threat on the plane

By Bianca Bongato For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 18:15 EST, 6 November 2018 | Updated: 18:29 EST, 6 November 2018

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An Indonesian flight was delayed after fights broke out over the pungent smell of durian fruit in the passenger cabin.

The Sriwijaya Air plane was delayed for an hour at Bengkulu, south west of Sumatra, when passengers complained of the fruit's overpowering smell.

Passengers eventually left the plane and refused to board the aircraft until the fruit was removed.

A journalist from the Indonesia news agency Antara said arguments between some passengers and flight attendants almost ended up in physical blows, according to the ABC.

Footage uploaded to Facebook by a passenger showed that the airport crew eventually removed two tonnes of durian in the cargo hold.

Scroll down for video

An Indonesian flight has been delayed after fights broke out over the pungent smell of durian fruit in the passenger cabin (stock image)

Footage uploaded to Facebook by a passenger showed that the airport crew eventually removed two tonnes of durian in the cargo hold (pictured)

The Sriwijaya Air flight departed for Jakarta at about 11.40 am, an hour later than scheduled.

Despite its decision to offload the fruit from the cargo, Sriwijaya Air senior corporate communications manager Retri Maya later released a statement justifying their decision by saying it was 'not illegal' to carry durian fruit.

'It's not illegal to carry durian in a flight as long as it is wrapped properly in accordance with flight regulations - carried inside the hold,' Mr Maya said.

'Many airlines do this,' he added.

However, some passengers feared the fruit would pose as a safety threat while flying.

Indonesian aviation expert Gerry Soejatman criticised the ordeal.

Sriwijaya Air senior corporate communications manager Retri Maya later on released a statement justifying their decision by saying it was 'not illegal' to carry durian fruit

A Sriwijaya flight was delayed for an hour at Bengkulu, south west of Sumatra, when passengers complained of the durian's overpowering smell (stock image)

'Three tonnes of durian offloaded from a Sriwijaya Air jet after pax complained of the smell. The problem is, videos circulating where a passenger taking the video accused carrying durian as a safety hazard. Dude, tell me, what glue did you sniff today?' Mr Soejatman said on Twitter.

The video received attention from many Facebook users, with many lauding the decision to remove the fruit from the aircraft.

The durian fruit has been banned from public transport and hotels in some countries because of its 'stinky' smell, which has been described by food writer Richard Sterling as 'turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock'.