Air India flight forced to return to Chicago due to clogged toilets

A video surfaced on social media, showing the commotion in the Air India flight with passengers on-board crowding one section of the plane

A Delhi-bound Air India flight on March 6 was forced to return to Chicago after all but one of its toilets allegedly became clogged and inoperable. A video surfaced on social media on Monday, showing the commotion in the flight with passengers on-board crowding one section of the plane.

 

According to news agency PTI, Air India Flight AI126 remained air-borne for around 10 hours on March 6 due to the issue. The flight was over Greenland on March 5 when the incident occured, leaving around 300 passengers to share just one toilet in the business class section, according to a report by The New York Post.

 

 

The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-337 ER aircraft, which has 10 lavatories, including two for first-class passengers. The aircraft has a little over 340 seats, including first, business, and economy classes.

What did Air India say?

An Air India spokesperson said the flight returned due to a "technical issue" and that alternative arrangements were made for the passengers.

 

"Upon landing in Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and were provided with accommodation to minimise inconvenience. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

 

The airline also stated that full refunds for cancellations and complimentary rescheduling were offered to passengers.

 

Notably, the clogging of lavatories is not uncommon on flights. Airplane toilets often get clogged, usually when passengers flush unauthorised items down the pipes. Even just one or two clogged toilets are enough to trigger a flight crew to turn the plane around and land due to the limited number of lavatories available.

 

In 2016, a flight from Canada to Pakistan was delayed after airline staff found something ‘solid’ blocking one of the toilets. In April 2023, an Austrian Airlines flight bound for New York was forced to take a U-turn after five of the aircraft's eight toilets stopped working.

Technical snags on Air India flights

Recently, Air India has witnessed technical issues on its flights. On January 25, an Air India Express flight traveling from Bengaluru to Visakhapatnam had to turn back to Bengaluru airport due to a technical snag.

 

Earlier the same month, another Air India flight bound to Singapore had to return to Chennai after pilots identified a technical snag mid-air.