Passenger spots 'duct tape' holding plane engine panel together

A woman was shocked when she spotted that 'sticky tape' had been used to keep a plane engine panel together on her Air New Zealand flight.

Jessica Baker was flying from Nelson to Christchurch with her 11-month-old son when she spotted it out of the window, reports the NZ Herald.

See also: Easyjet flight turns back after passenger spots spanner in wing

See also: Flight forced to land after crew fixed pilot's window with tape

Speaking to stuff.co.nz, Ms Baker said: "I was quite terrified actually.

"I'm not a good flyer so it made me incredibly nervous seeing that."

Air New Zealand spokeswoman Emma Field said that despite its appearances it was not ordinary duct tape, rather it was a specialist aviation speed tape.

The tape is generally made from aluminium and is used for temporary coverage of non-structural elements of the craft.

The Daily Mail reports that Jessica was satisfied with the airline's response but said she thought passengers should be told about such things before takeoff.

Back in May 2015, a worried easyJet passenger shared a photo of an airline worker sticking tape to an engine shell on social media site Reddit.

The traveller joked: "Ladies and gentleman, we will depart just as soon as our mechanic finishes taping our engine back together."

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We've heard of vomiting bugs in hotels and cruises but rarely on a plane. On a flight from Chile to Sydney in August 2013, 26 passengers became violently ill with gastroenteritis after celebrating at a festival in Brazil and picking up the bug before boarding the plane. Some of the passengers were taken to hospital once the plane landed in Sydney and the plane had to be quarantined and disinfected upon arrival. This is one flight we're really glad we weren't on as the Boeing 747-400 only had eight toilets and the group developed vomiting and diarrhoea.