Air India flight from Chicago to New Delhi returns hours into journey after rags, clothes and plastic bags clog toilets

Two Air India aircraft are parked on the tarmac on Dec. 6, 2023. (Urbanandsport / NurPhoto / Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)

An Air India flight from Chicago to New Delhi last Wednesday was forced to return several hours into its journey after multiple bathrooms on the plane were clogged with rags, clothes and plastic bags, according to the airline.

The flight, Air India AI126, was five hours into its journey, when it was forced to turn around, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Crew were first notified that some of the toilets were out of order an hour and 45 minutes into the flight. They later on determined that eight of 12 lavatories were “unserviceable,” “causing discomfort to all on board,” a spokesperson for Air India said in a statement to CNN.

A subsequent investigation into the incident revealed that “polythene bags, rags, and clothes” among other items had been flushed down the lavatories and “stuck in the plumbing,” the statement read.

The situation unfolded as the plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, was over the Atlantic, but because of restrictions on nightly operations at European airports, a decision was made to return to Chicago.

“The decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety,” the spokesperson said.

Data on FlightAware shows that the plane’s total journey was roughly 10 hours and that it turned around over Greenland.

Once in Chicago, passengers were provided with hotel accommodation and alternative flight routes, the company said.

The spokesperson noted that this wasn’t the first time foreign objects were found on Air India toilets –– “blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste have been flushed down toilets on other flights.”

Article written by Karina Tsui and Esha Mitra, CNN