An Air India flight en route from Chicago to Delhi had to return to Chicago 10 hours after take-off on Thursday (March 6) due to dysfunctional toilets. Numerous toilets in the aircraft were clogged and non-functional, news agency PTI reported.
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The Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft generally accommodates over 340 passengers across its first, business and economy classes. It has just 10 toilets, two of them reserved for first class travellers only, PTI reported.
It was also reported that only a single toilet was working in the entire aircraft after 10 hours in the air.
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A video of the ruckus in the flight shared on the social media platform X showed people standing in the aircraft - some discussing, some arguing with each other over the issue.
❗️✈️🇮🇳 - An Air India flight (Flight 126) from India to Chicago, Illinois, was forced to turn back over Greenland on March 5, 2025, during a 10-hour journey after 11 of its 12 bathrooms became clogged with feces, leaving around 300 passengers, mostly Indian, stranded on a plane… pic.twitter.com/w51IzAN77j
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) March 9, 2025
Airline's response
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"Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and have been provided with accommodation to minimise inconvenience. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination," an Air India spokesperson told PTI.
The airline also confirmed that all the passengers were offered complete refunds upon their cancellation of the flight along with free rescheduling options.
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(With inputs from agencies)