Ten hours in the air for nothing: toilet disaster forces plane to turn back

Chicago (USA) - A long-haul flight from Chicago to Delhi turned into an involuntary odyssey for travelers last week: the Air India flight had to turn back and landed back in the USA after ten hours . The reason for this is truly absurd.

After just under two hours into the flight, the crew noticed that there were problems with the toilets in business and economy class, as reported by People.

During an investigation, the staff discovered that eight of the twelve toilets were no longer working. Only one of the toilets was still functional - an imposition for the large number of passengers.

Initially, an emergency landing in Europe was considered. However, this could not take place due to night flight bans at many airports.

With no other option, the airline finally decided to return to Chicago. The disappointment was correspondingly great when the plane touched down in the USA again after this long flight.

But what had actually happened? In a later announcement, Air India made it clear that the toilets had probably been deliberately misused as garbage cans. Bags, rags and even whole items of clothing were found in the drains.

Aviation expert Mark Martin, does not think that the passengers alone are responsible for this incident.

"While it's not uncommon for one or two vacuum toilets to be clogged because passengers often flush tissues or diapers, it's almost impossible for all toilets to be clogged solely through the fault of passengers, in a way that causes an emergency detour," he told the Hindustan Times.

After the unplanned return to Chicago, Air India tried to limit the damage. Passengers were given hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.

The airline also offered full refunds and free rebooking on request. For many of those affected, however, the frustration remained great.