Polythene Bags, Rags, Clothes: Air India Investigation Finds Reason Behind All 12 Clogged Lavatories on Chicago-Delhi Flight

New Delhi: Air India has responded after its Chicago-Delhi flight with 300-passengers onboard returned to the airport due to non-functional lavatories, causing serious discomfort to the passengers. The plane had 12 lavatories out of which 8 of them were found to be clogged, however, after some time, all the 12 toilets onboard the flight became unserviceable. The incident took place on March 5, 2025 when the flight was over the Atlantic Ocean. The airlines on Monday issued a clarification saying that their investigation found out polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing which led lavatories to become unserviceable.

Air India Delhi-Chicago flight returned after 10 hours in air  

Air India Delhi-Chicago Boeing 777-300ER Jetliner had returned to Chicago, from it took off on March 5, after majority of lavatories onboard were found to be choked. According to reports, the flight was flying over Greenland when most of its toilets out of total 12 broke down. There were 300 passengers onboard.

The Air India flight was forced to return to Chicago when it had covered 5-hours of its journey and was over the Atlantic Ocean.

Speaking on the matter, Air India in a media statement said, “We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating Chicago to Delhi on 05 March 2025 that caused the flight’s diversion back to its origin, Chicago O’Hare International Airport. We would like to confirm that as part of our investigation into the incident, our teams found polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable.”

The Airline further added, “While we fully empathise with passengers who faced discomfort and whose travel plans have been affected by the flight’s diversion, we would like to put forth the following facts about the flight.”

What Air India observed in its investigation on Chicago-Delhi flight

• Air India said that the flight departed in time at 16:48 Hrs UTC — 10:18 PM IST. About an 1 hours 45 minutes into the flight, the crew reported some of the lavatories in Business and Economy Class to be unserviceable.
• Subsequently, eight of the 12 lavatories in the aircraft became unserviceable, causing discomfort to all on board.
• By this time, the aircraft was overflying the Atlantic, leaving points in Europe as potential cities to divert to.
• However, due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports, it was decided to divert back to Chicago.
• The decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.
• Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers were provided immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.

Air India highlights similar incidents in past

Revealing reason behind clogged lavatories on Chicago-Delhi flight, Air India in its statement listed out similar incidents observed in the past. The airline said that their teams have previously also found objects such as blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights and urged passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for.