Chicago, March 9, 2025 – An Air India flight bound for Delhi from Chicago turned into a 10-hour journey to nowhere this week when nearly all of its onboard toilets became clogged, forcing the aircraft to return to its point of origin. The incident, which occurred on March 5, has left passengers frustrated and sparked questions about the airline’s maintenance and operational decisions.
Flight AI126 departed Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 11:24 a.m. local time, embarking on what was scheduled to be a 14-hour nonstop journey to India’s capital, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware cited by the New York Post [nypost.com, March 9, 2025.
However, approximately four and a half hours into the flight, as the plane soared over Greenland, a critical issue emerged: 11 of the aircraft’s 12 lavatories had reportedly become inoperable due to clogging, leaving only one functional toilet in the business class section for nearly 300 passengers and crew to share.
The situation quickly escalated into what passengers described as a nightmare. “The extended pee-pee dance began nearly five hours into the 14-hour trip,” wrote Ronny Reyes for the New York Post, highlighting the mounting discomfort aboard the aircraft. With the majority of the toilets out of service, the flight crew made the decision to turn back, flying an additional five hours to land back at O’Hare at 9:08 p.m. that evening, per One Mile at a Time [onemileatatime, March 9, 2025]. The total flight time amounted to 9 hours and 44 minutes—nearly 10 hours in the air, only to end up where it started.
Air India officially attributed the return to a “technical issue,” a statement echoed in their response reported by the Hindustan Times [hindustantimes.com, March 7, 2025]. However, sources familiar with the matter revealed a more specific cause. “Only one of the business class lavatories was functional,” an unnamed insider told the Hindustan Times, adding that such problems, while not uncommon on ultra-long-haul flights, reached an unusual scale in this case. Aviation consultant Mark Martin, quoted in the same article, countered that a failure of this magnitude is rare, suggesting it’s “next to impossible for all lavatories to be clogged due to only passengers’ fault” and hinting at potential systemic issues.
The clogged toilets likely stemmed from passengers flushing unauthorized items, a recurring challenge for airlines. As noted by the New York Post, even one or two blocked lavatories can prompt a flight to divert due to limited facilities, but the near-total breakdown on this flight was exceptional. Theories abound about why the crew opted to return to Chicago rather than divert to a closer hub like London, a major Air India station. One Mile at a Time speculated that crew time limits or logistical constraints may have influenced the decision, though no official explanation has been provided.
Upon landing, passengers disembarked normally, and Air India arranged hotel accommodations to mitigate the inconvenience, according to a company statement reported by The Financial Express [financialexpress.com, March 6, 2025]. The airline also promised full refunds and complimentary rescheduling options. Yet, for some, the ordeal continued on the ground. Travel blogger Gary Leff, writing for View from the Wing [viewfromthewing.com, March 9, 2025], shared the plight of his cousin, who had booked a first-class ticket using Avianca Lifemiles for a wedding in India. “We’re now in the midst of customer service hell with Avianca, Lifemiles, and Air India to figure out how to get a refund for the miles ticket,” Leff wrote, underscoring the logistical fallout.
This isn’t the first time Air India has faced toilet-related disruptions. In 2017, a Delhi-to-Chicago flight departed with four of its 12 lavatories already out of service, only for the remaining eight to fail mid-flight, forcing passengers to endure the final hours without facilities, as reported by the Times of India [timesofindia.indiatimes.com, March 12, 2017]. Such incidents highlight ongoing challenges for the carrier, which has been investing heavily in fleet upgrades and branding but continues to grapple with irregular operations.
For now, the passengers of Flight AI126 are left with a tale of a 10-hour debacle—and a stark reminder of the fragility of air travel’s most basic amenities.
Reyes, Ronny. “Air India flight forced to return to US over clogged toilets in 10-hour debacle: reports.” New York Post, March 9, 2025.
“Clogged Toilets Cause 10-Hour Air India Flight To Nowhere.” One Mile at a Time, March 9, 2025.
“Air India flight returns to Chicago over clogged loos.” Hindustan Times, March 7, 2025.
“Clogged toilets force Air India-Chicago flight to turn back after 10 hours in air.” The Financial Express, March 6, 2025.
Leff, Gary. “9-Hour Flight To Nowhere Strands 300 Air India Passengers After 11 Toilets Clog.” View from the Wing, March 9, 2025.
“Choked Toilets On Air India Flight.” Times of India, March 12, 2017.