Air India plane turns back due to clogged toilets, says rags & clothes were flushed

An Air India flight was forced to turn back after eight of its 12 toilets in its business and economy classes were found to be clogged and unusable.

The plane was headed to Delhi, India from Chicago, reported BBC.

The airline blamed the incident on "polyethene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing".

One photo later shared by the airline showed a trash bag containing what appeared to be crumpled-up paper and plastic bags, which had purportedly been cleared from the toilets.

"Unserviceable"

The flight in question was Air India Flight 126, which departed Chicago on Mar. 5.

About two hours in, crew members said that some of the toilets were "unserviceable".

Eight of the 12 toilets in business and economy class were subsequently deemed unusable.

As the plane was flying over the Atlantic ocean, and due to restrictions on nightly operations at European airports, the pilots decided to return to Chicago for "passenger comfort and safety".

The plane had spent about 10 hours in the air at the time of this decision.

Stinky situation

A subsequent investigation revealed that polyethene bags, rags, and clothes had been found stuck in the lavatories' plumbing.

A spokesperson from Air India also noted that "blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste have been flushed down toilets on other flights", according to CNN.

According to Indian media Times of India, clogged toilets has long been a problem on Air India flights.

Everything from towels and socks, to underwear and even small pillows distributed on board, have been discovered in the plane's sewage tanks.

The problem is exacerbated by ageing aircraft, said an engineer who works in aircraft maintenance.

He explained that aircraft toilets — which use a vacuum system to remove waste — have developed scaling along the ducts and pipes over time, which reduces their width.

This means that things like shawls, sheets, or towels "easily and immediately clog them up".

In its statement, Air India reminded its passengers to observe proper bathroom etiquette when travelling on planes.

"We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for," the spokesperson said.

Top image from Air India/Facebook and Air India