This story is based on an official report. The inflight disruption occurred after the aircraft’s lavatory system became cloggeddue to inappropriate items being flushed, leading to multiple toilets becoming unusable during the flight.
March 5, 2025 — What was meant to be a routine long-haul journey turned into an inflight nightmare when a Boeing 777 flying from Chicago to New Delhi suffered a cascading failure of its lavatory system just hours after takeoff.
Barely two hours into the flight, five of the nine economy-class toilets clogged and shut down. By the third hour, the situation worsened dramatically—three more toilets failed, leaving the aircraft with only a single disabled restroom still operational.
As frustration mounted among more than 300 economy passengers, cabin crew and technicians were forced into damage-control mode mid-air. Reports say they pulled out plastic bags, rags, and even pieces of clothing from the waste drainage system in desperate attempts to restore functionality.
With just one usable toilet—located in business class—queues stretched down the aisle, tempers flared, and the cabin atmosphere quickly turned tense. Passengers later described the ordeal as nothing short of “chaotic,” especially given the long hours still remaining on the intercontinental flight.
Air India later revealed that this was not an isolated issue. The airline said it has previously found blankets, underwear, diapers, and other inappropriate items flushed down aircraft toilets.
“We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes they are meant for,” the airline said in a statement.
Online reaction was swift and divided. On X, many criticised the airline for poor maintenance and inadequate sanitation standards.
“Only Air India has such frequent mishaps. Honestly, this is indefensible,” one user wrote.
Others, however, pushed back against the blame.
“Can we really dump everything on the airline and crew when passengers can’t follow basic travel etiquette?” another user asked.
The incident has reignited debate over aircraft upkeep versus passenger responsibility, proving that at 35,000 feet, even basic systems can become the breaking point.
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