Planes are forced to return to the airport they came from for all sorts of reasons, from turbulent weather to mechanical faults. However, seeing a flight disrupted by a clogged toilet is far more unusual.
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According to a report by View From The Wing, an Air India flight took off from Chicago Airport at around 11:20 am on Wednesday and was en route to Delhi. However, the airline decided to return to Chicago roughly four and a half hours into the flight.
The Boeing 777-300ER was reportedly over Greenland when the 11th of its 12 toilets became clogged and inoperable. The one remaining working loo was in business class, but that's not nearly enough to accommodate roughly 300 passengers. The plane reportedly arrived in Chicago almost 10 hours after takeoff.
According to TravelMath, a flight from Chicago to Delhi can exceed 15 hours. The additional five hours plus wait with just one toilet was likely enough for Air India to take action.
Passengers Reportedly Struggled To Rebook Their Flight
View From The Wing explains that Air India released the following statement:
'Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and have been provided with accommodation to minimize inconvenience. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination.'
However, some passengers report that this isn't the case. Representatives for the airline appeared uninformed about the situation and had no immediate solutions. One customer shared their frustrations with the outlet, saying, "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."
The aircraft was in such a rough state that it reportedly stayed grounded for two days at Chicago O'Hare Airport for maintenance and cleaning.
Nobody wants their flights disrupted, but at least nobody got hurt. A recent incident occurred on board a flight to Caracas, where a passenger attempted to open the emergency door mid-flight. His actions quickly caused panic throughout the cabin, even though there was no feasible way he could open the hatch alone. Aircraft staff quickly detained the unruly passenger, but a crew member suffered a partial fibula fracture during the scuffle.
