Passengers on an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi spent 10 hours in the air aboard their plane, only to land back in Chicago. The cause of the turnaround? Eight clogged toilets.
On 5 March, Flight AI126 departed Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 4:48 pm. If all had gone according to plan, the journey to Delhi should have taken 14 hours. However, a plumbing issue forced the plane to turn around mid-flight, resulting in a 10-hour journey to nowhere for 33 passengers, according to data from Flightradar24.
“About an hour and forty-five minutes into the flight, the crew reported some of the lavatories in business and economy class to be unserviceable”, Air India said in a statement. “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.”
According to Flightradar24, the aircraft was flying over Greenland when the decision to return to Chicago was made.
🔥🚨BREAKING: An Air India flight was forced to return on a 10 hour trip to Chicago Illinois because their toilets were clogged with poop leaving hundreds Indians trapped on a plane with no restroom.
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 9, 2025
Air India Flight 126 was making its way over Greenland on March 5 when 11 out… pic.twitter.com/FhPfMBYgzU
Unusual items found in clogged toilets
An investigation into the incident revealed that eight of the twelve toilets on board were clogged with polythene bags, rags, and clothing. These items had been flushed down the toilets, causing blockages in the plumbing system and rendering the facilities inoperable.
Also, there were blankets. And A Shirt? https://t.co/7fUzHAACl6 pic.twitter.com/pXXm3unEmQ
— Ajay Awtaney (@LiveFromALounge) March 10, 2025
In its statement, Air India said that all passengers on the flight were provided immediate assistance once they landed in Chicago, “including hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.”
Following the incident, the airline has been urging passengers to use toilets aboard as they were intended to.
“While not found on AI126 of 5 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 shared news about Air India Flight 126 forced to return to the US after 11 out of 12 toilets clog.
— aircraftmaintenancengineer (@airmainengineer) March 11, 2025
You can see what comes from the ducts. Looks like some people needs a lesson about how to use toilets before safety video. 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Not an ad@OnDisasters @AirNavRadar pic.twitter.com/hH1HCz3CKg
Mid-air sanitation problems: a recurring issue
This is not the first time a toilet malfunction has caused disruption during a flight.
In 2024, a United Airlines flight from Frankfurt (Germany) to San Francisco was forced to turn back due to a flooded toilet, which led to its contents leaking into the cabin.
Similarly, a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles spent six hours in the air before returning to the Netherlands due to a non-functioning toilet. The pilots of the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner had been aware of the issue earlier in the flight but only decided to turn back later on.
