Air India flight forced to turn around an hour and 45 minutes into the air

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

Air India has confirmed that one of its flights from the US was forced to turn around last week after passengers trying to flush away plastic bags, rags and clothes clogged up most of its toilets.
The plane, which was heading from Chicago to India's capital Delhi, spent several hours in the air before it returned to the US city.
Video clips from inside the aircraft showed scenes of confusion as passengers huddled around crew members who seemed to be explaining the situation.
The incident has stirred a lively debate on social media, with many Indians weighing in on aeroplane bathroom etiquette.
The incident took place on 5 March on Air India Flight 126, according to a statement by the airline released on Monday.
About two hours into the flight, crew members reported that some of the toilets were "unserviceable".
Subsequently, they found eight of the 12 toilets in business and economy class could not be used, "causing discomfort to all on board". The plane can carry up to 342 passengers.
At that point the plane was already flying over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Air India's statement. Due to restrictions on night operations at most European airports at the time, the pilots decided to return to Chicago for "passenger comfort and safety".
A BBC check on flight tracking website Flightradar24 found the plane was near Greenland when it turned around, and had spent a total of 10 hours in the air.
Air India said an investigation later found "polythene bags, rags and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing" of the plane's toilets.
It released several pictures showing bags containing waste cleared from the toilets. One photo showed a crew member holding a drainage pipe completely stuffed with what appeared to be rags.
The statement said that all passengers and crew disembarked normally in Chicago and were provided with accommodation and alternative flight options.
Plane toilets store human waste in special tanks and use a vacuum system for flushing. These are normally disposed of once the plane has landed.
While clogged toilets are not uncommon, it is "next to impossible" for all toilets to break down "due to only passengers' fault, and in a way that it causes an emergency diversion", Mark Martin, an aviation expert, told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
But Air India said it had previously found objects such as blankets, underwear and diapers flushed down its planes' toilets.
"We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for," it said.
On X, many criticised the airline for poor upkeep and the lack of sanitation facilities on its aeroplanes.
"Only Air India has such frequent mishaps. Honestly what has happened is indefensible," one user said.
But others pointed out that the airline could not be held responsible for the situation.
"Can we honestly dump all the blame on Air India and the crew, when people can't follow basic travel etiquette?" another user said.

@☑︎#VoteDemocrat get ya filthy hands in here and explain yr people

'basica travel etiquette'

more simply washroom etiquette

 

[the cac mamba]

"forced to turn around last week after passengers trying to flush away plastic bags, rags and clothes clogged up most of its toilets."

no one should be this unfamiliar with toilet use in 2025

 

[Rick Fox at UNC]

Without even reading...

Due to the smell.

 

[blackestofpanthers]

After a certain point, the non Indians on the plane had to be immune to the stank. You know that shyt was stankin before they even took off.

 

[Amerikan Melanin]

The worst group of people on the planet when it comes to etiquette and thinking about others. Horrendous manners.

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

"We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for," it said.
On X, many criticised the airline for poor upkeep and the lack of sanitation facilities on its aeroplanes.
"Only Air India has such frequent mishaps. Honestly what has happened is indefensible," one user said.
But others pointed out that the airline could not be held responsible for the situation.

 

[num123]

I almost had to go to New Delhi for work, was relieved when they was able to get someone local to assist me instead. Would not want to go ever to the country, much less be on a plane ride from Chicago all the way to New Delhi.

 

[General Mills]

After a certain point, the non Indians on the plane had to be immune to the stank. You know that shyt was stankin before they even took off.

I was about to say. You know that plane STANK!

At my old apartment complex it was probably about 65% Indians. The moms and the kids stayed at the little park in the complex. One day my little niece came over and I looked out the window.. I was surprised they were not hogging up the park. So I took my niece over there to play


Tell my why the OUTSIDE PLAYGROUND stink like Indians How do you funk up a whole playground??

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

the second clip they all swear they doing something

 

[shopthatwrecks]

devin would have let the windows up...

 

[Cryptocurrency Scarface]

 

[blackestofpanthers]

devin would have let the windows up...

Official Air India theme music

 

[Windows 91]

Millennia upon millennia of human history and some cultures still haven't figured out sanitation

 

[Traveler]

Indian's, Bangladeshi's, and Pakistani's are some disgusting ass people. I was working out of the embassy in Bangladesh and one of our contacts invited me to stay a weekend at his private club in Chittagong. One of the days we were going on a river cruise. I was like cool. Now I was with the upper crust of Bangladeshi society. Everyone but me were worth several million USD. But I was a representative from the US Embassy so they were trying to cozy up. Long story short we are on this shytty river boat, going down an even shyttier river. They were just dumping trash overboard, barely using the trashcans. They preferred to pile that shyt up next to the can than put it in it. I tried to go to the bathroom and all of them were clogged up. I spent the rest of the time on the bridge of the river boat with the Captain. Never been so disgusted in my life. I was only there a month, but when I got back stateside, I was coughing up black shyt for weeks. I refeuse to go back to that area of the world.

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

Indian's, Bangladeshi's, and Pakistani's are some disgusting ass people. I was working out of the embassy in Bangladesh and one of our contacts invited me to stay a weekend at his private club in Chittagong. One of the days we were going on a river cruise. I was like cool. Now I was with the upper crust of Bangladeshi society. Everyone but me were worth several million USD. But I was a representative from the US Embassy so they were trying to cozy up. Long story short we are on this shytty river boat, going down an even shyttier river. They were just dumping trash overboard, barely using the trashcans. They preferred to pile that shyt up next to the can than put it in it. I tried to go to the bathroom and all of them were clogged up. I spent the rest of the time on the bridge of the river boat with the Captain. Never been so disgusted in my life. I was only there a month, but when I got back stateside, I was coughing up black shyt for weeks. I refeuse to go back to that area of the world.

a @Traveler that learned his lesson the hard way