Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Air India flight AI126 from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) had flown several hours before being forced to abruptly return to Chicago after a passenger flushed multiple articles of clothing and even a blanket down one of the toilets on the March 5th flight.
The passenger shoved what looks like shirts and a blanket into one of the toilets on the Boeing 777-300ER. Due to nighttime restrictions at many European airports, the plane was forced to turn around to its origin. The aircraft was held in Chicago for two days to undergo maintenance and repairs before it re-entered service.
An Air India spokesperson released the following statement:
We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating 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.
While we fully empathise with passengers who faced discomfort and whose travel plans have been affected by the flight’s diversion, we would like to put forth the following facts about the flight: •The flight departed in time at 1648 Hrs (UTC).
- 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.
- 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.
- Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers were provided immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.
While not found on AI126 of 05 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 take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for.”
Anthony’s Take: Why would someone be compelled to flush clothing down the toilet? This stupidity caused a lot of aggravation, missed plans, and money to both the airline and passengers. This seems so basic, but don’t flush foreign objects while in flight (or anytime).
(Image Credits: @LiveFromALounge via X.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
Three pronged approach to avoid similar future incidents: 1) Make the person pay for all expenses due to the delay. 2) Prison time. Not a decade but a couple of years in a medium security facility. 3) Lifetime no-fly list.