An Air India flight from Toronto to Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt mid-journey last week due to an unknown number of its toilets being clogged, The Indian Express has learnt. This incident comes two months after an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi returned to its origin airport due to eight out of 12 of its toilets being clogged.
“Air India flight AI188 of 02 May 2025, operating non-stop from Toronto to Delhi, was diverted to Frankfurt due to a technical issue,” an Air India spokesperson said. “The flight was airborne from Frankfurt within a couple of hours and proceeded to its destination, Delhi. We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain top priority,” the spokesperson added.
After the March incident, passengers of the flight had shared videos of the incident on social media. Photos and videos of airline staff taking out bedsheets, rags and clothes from toilet pipes were also shared. “As part of our investigation into the incident, our teams found polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and (were) stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable,” an Air India spokesperson had said then.
“About an hour and forty-five minutes into the flight, the crew reported some of the lavatories in Business and Economy Class to be unserviceable. Subsequently, eight of the 12 lavatories in the aircraft became unserviceable, causing discomfort to all on board,” the statement had said then.
“By this time, the aircraft was overflying the Atlantic, leaving points in Europe as potential cities to divert to. However, due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports, it was decided to divert back to Chicago,” the spokesperson said, explaining why the flight was diverted to Chicago at the time.
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