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Air India on flight diversion due to overflowing toilets: 'Polythene bags, clothes flushed down'
Air India said its teams previously also found objects such as blankets, innerwear, and diapers, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights
Days after its Delhi-bond flight was forced to return to Chicago after reports of “unserviceable lavatories” on the aircraft, Air India on Monday broke its silence.
In a statement, the air carrier said that its probe found polythene bags, rags, and clothes being flushed down, which got stuck in the plumbing.
“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.
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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 Air India statement said.
While saying that it “fully empathised” with the passengers who faced discomfort and whose travel plans were affected due to the flight's diversion, Air India said that the flight departed on its time at around 1648 Hrs (UTC).
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The airline said that about an hour and 45 minutes into the flight, the crew reported that some of the lavatories in Business and Economy Class were 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 airline stated.
‘Decision to divert taken in interest of passenger comfort and safety’: Air India
Air India said that the decision to divert the aircraft 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 said.
“While not found on AI126 of 05 March 2025, our teams have previously also found objects such as blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights. We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for,” the statement added.
