Air India’s ‘Clogged Toilets’ Flight From Chicago To Delhi Was Real, But Viral Video Is Fake – News18

Last Updated:March 11, 2025, 13:54 is

The viral video claiming to show Air India passengers arguing with cabin crew over clogged toilets on a Chicago-to-Delhi flight is actually two months old and unrelated to the recent incident.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably come across a viral video showing passengers locked in a heated argument with the cabin crew that was widely shared with claims that it’s from the recent Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi that had to turn back 10 hours after taking off due to clogged toilets. While the flight did face lavatory troubles, the video making the rounds isn’t from that flight at all.

In its initial statement, Air India attributed the flight’s return to Chicago to “technical issues” and assured passengers that alternative arrangements were being made to fly them to their destination.

‘Flushed clothes, rags, and polythene bags’ on AIr India flight

However, it later acknowledged that eight of its 12 toilets on AI126 flight became unusable just an hour and 45 minutes after take off due to improper waste disposal, including flushed polythene bags, rags, and even clothes.

“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,” said the airline that departed on time from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

By the time the aircraft was over the Atlantic Ocean, two-thirds of its toilets were out of service. With most European airports enforcing strict night operation restrictions, the airline faced a tough decision to continuing with limited facilities or returning to Chicago. Ultimately, the flight was diverted back to its departure point keeping the passenger comfort in mind.

The statement added, “Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers were provided immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.”

The Air India spokesperson also revealed that object such as blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights and urged passengers to “use lavoratories for the purposes they are meant for”.

Viral video and the claim

Amid this, a video started doing the rounds on social media, claiming to show passengers arguing with the crew onboard the Air India flight that turned back due to clogged toilets. The video was shared by the X handle “@dom_lucre”, who stated that while clogged toilets on flights are not uncommon, the limited number of lavatories available can be “enough to trigger a flight crew to turn the plane around and land due to the limited number of lavatories available”.

The social media user started their post with the words “breaking” and directly referenced the Delhi-bound Air India flight that returned to Chicago.

However, when News18.com conducted a fact-check, it found that the video was actually shared in January this year -well before the recent Air India lavatory incident.

While the footage does show an Air India flight, it had nothing to do with the clogged toilets. Instead, it captured frustrated passengers who had been stuck on a plane for seven hours before their flight was ultimately cancelled.

The aircraft, which returned to Chicago, can accommodate up to 342 passengers, including 303 in economy class. Air India stated that passengers were offered full refunds for cancellations, along with complimentary rescheduling options.

“All passengers and crew disembarked normally and have been provided with accommodation to minimise inconvenience. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination. In addition, full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling are also being offered to passengers if opted by them,” the statement said.