Virgin Australia has said no human waste was sloshing down the aisle of a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, contrary to passenger reports.

Flight VA2 turned around when liquid from the bathrooms was found in the aisle. 

“The onboard toilets operate on a completely separate drainage system. As the issue was with the aircraft sink, and not the toilets, there was no incident of leaked human waste,” Virgin said.

The plane was turned around for passenger comfort, so they did not “have to deal with that issue”.

It landed in Los Angeles at 4.09am local time on Tuesday.

Passengers report they were forced to wear masks for three hours due to the stench.

Christchurch resident Julia Malley told Newstalk ZB the smell was “unbearable”.

“We could see it [human waste] go through the aisles, like it was very obvious,” she said.

The flight was then bound for Christchurch in New Zealand.

Virgin Australia said in a statement: “sinks on board were leaking.”