Air India has confirmed that one of its flights from the US was forced to turn around last week after passengers trying to flush away plastic bags, rags and clothes clogged up most of its toilets.
The plane, which was heading from Chicago to India’s capital Delhi, spent several hours in the air before it returned to the US city.
Video clips from inside the aircraft showed scenes of confusion as passengers huddled around crew members who seemed to be explaining the situation.
The incident has stirred a lively debate on social media, with many Indians weighing in on aeroplane bathroom etiquette.
The incident took place on 5 March on Air India Flight 126, according to a statement by the airline released on Monday.
About two hours into the flight, crew members reported that some of the toilets were “unserviceable”.
Subsequently, they found eight of the 12 toilets in business and economy class could not be used, “causing discomfort to all on board”. The plane can carry up to 342 passengers.
At that point the plane was already flying over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Air India’s statement. Due to restrictions on night operations at most European airports at the time, the pilots decided to return to Chicago for “passenger comfort and safety”.
A BBC check on flight tracking website Flightradar24 found the plane was near Greenland when it turned around, and had spent a total of 10 hours in the air.
Air India said an investigation later found “polythene bags, rags and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing” of the plane’s toilets.
It released several pictures showing bags containing waste cleared from the toilets. One photo showed a crew member holding a drainage pipe completely stuffed with what appeared to be rags.
The statement said that all passengers and crew disembarked normally in Chicago and were provided with accommodation and alternative flight options.
Plane toilets store human waste in special tanks and use a vacuum system for flushing. These are normally disposed of once the plane has landed.
While clogged toilets are not uncommon, it is “next to impossible” for all toilets to break down “due to only passengers’ fault, and in a way that it causes an emergency diversion”, Mark Martin, an aviation expert, told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
But Air India said it had previously found objects such as blankets, underwear and diapers flushed down its planes’ toilets.
“We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for,” it said.
On X, many criticised the airline for poor upkeep and the lack of sanitation facilities on its aeroplanes.
“Only Air India has such frequent mishaps. Honestly what has happened is indefensible,” one user said.
But others pointed out that the airline could not be held responsible for the situation.
“Can we honestly dump all the blame on Air India and the crew, when people can’t follow basic travel etiquette?” another user said.
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