Poly bags, rags behind clogged loos in Chicago-Delhi flight: Air India probe 

Days after its Delhi-bound aircraft returned to Chicago due to unserviceable lavatories, Air India on Monday said its probe found that polythene bags, rags, and clothes had been flushed down and were stuck in the plumbing.

On March 6, AI126 from Chicago to Delhi returned to the US city after being airborne for more than 10 hours and on that day, the airline said the air return was due to a technical issue.

The same day, a source aware of the development said the aircraft had to return, as many of the lavatories were clogged.

In a detailed statement on the air return of AI126, Air India on Monday said 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," the statement said.

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, Air India said and added that the decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.

"We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating from 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," the statement said.