Nasty: Air India 10-Hour Flight To Nowhere After Illiterate Passengers Clog Eight Lavatory Toilets

Pictures have emerged showing what forced an Air India flight to Delhi to return to Chicago after five hours in the air; a 10-hour flight to nowhere. The only thing more nasty than the pictures are the vile passengers who clogged the lavatory toilets…

Air India Flight To Nowhere After Passengers Clogged Toilets With Rags, Clothes, Bags

On March 5, 2025, Air India 126 took off from Chicago (ORD) for Delhi (DEL), operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The flight time was scheduled for 14 hours, but about four hours after departure the plane made a U-turn.

Nine hours and 44 minutes later, AI126 landed right back where it began at ORD.

Why did the flight return to Chicago? By the time the flight reached the Atlantic, 75% of the lavatories ( 8 out of 12) were clogged.

Back on the ground in Chicago, Air India claimed ground staff found several items had been flushed in lavatories including:

• polythene bags
• rags
• clothes

Air India specifically said that these items “had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable.”

Air India has been attacked for the diversion of its ORD-DEL flight due to blocked toilets !

Well look what the Aircraft engineers pulled out of the toilet waste tanks –

Freaking blankets
Sweaters and huge cloths
Garments
Hand towels

Take a look !!
It’s time we learn how… pic.twitter.com/Am8k8qqP0S

— Sanjay Lazar (@sjlazars) March 10, 2025

The decision then became where to divert and Air India chose to return to Chicago, the point of origin. As Air India explained:

“Due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports, it was decided to divert back to Chicago. The decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.”

The flight did not depart for Delhi until 7 March, meaning it took nearly two days for the plane (and presumably the crew) to be ready for service.

Could Air India Have Handled This Better?

I’m fairly sympathetic about the way Air India handled this.

No, I do not specifically accept either official explanation (“restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports” or “in the interest of passenger comfort and safety”).

But I do recognize 1.) it wasn’t Air India’s fault the muttonheads onboard clogged the toilet and 2.) there may have been visa/immigration concerns that ultimately led to the decision to return to Chicago.

Sure, in “face saving” fashion Air India suggested that it promptly provided flight rebooking and accommodations for stranded passengers, but it appears the situation on the ground in Chicago was chaotic with only two employees handling 300 passengers.

One Mile At A Time reports Air India agents were so overwhelmed in Chicago that Delta Air Lines agents volunteered on their own time to help. If that is the case, that is truly a kind gesture…and a story within itself.

But try getting employees to come in late in the day when they are not scheduled and have families…it may be no trouble for carriers like American and United who maintain a large hub in ORD, but for an outstation carrier, it’s not like you can snap your fingers and a dozen empoyees show up.

CONCLUSION

An Air India flight was forced to return to Chicago after 75% of the lavatories clogged onboard. It was later found passengers had flushed clothing, blankets, and bags down the toilet.

While this incident does not reflect well on Air India (hard to believe so much was flushed in the first couple hours of the flight), it reflects far worse on the passengers who clogged the toilets. Air India even puts warning signs on the toilet, but apparently some people do not read English or Hindi: