Air India reveals what caused its flight to return to US: 'Polythene bags, clothes were stuck in...'

Days after its Delhi-bound aircraft returned to Chicago (US), Air India revealed that the incident happened to unserviceable lavatories. The airline said its probe found that polythene bags, rags, and clothes had been flushed down and were stuck in the plumbing. In a detailed statement on the air return of AI126, Air India on Monday said 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. "Subsequently, eight of the 12 lavatories in the aircraft became unserviceable, causing discomfort to all on board," the statement said.

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, Air India said and added that the decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety. "We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating from 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 statement said.

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What happened on March 6?

AI126 from Chicago to Delhi returned to the US city and on that day, the airline said the air return was due to a technical issue. Air India also urged passengers to use "lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for" and mentioned that previously, its teams had found objects like blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)