In a second alarming mid-air diversion in just two months, an Air India flight en route from Toronto to Delhi was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Frankfurt on May 2 due to multiple lavatories becoming non-functional mid-flight. Flight AI188, operated by a 15.8-year-old Boeing 777-337(ER), had departed from Toronto Pearson International Airport for its scheduled non-stop service to New Delhi. However, shortly into the journey, technical issues with the aircraft’s plumbing system—specifically, blocked toilets—compelled the crew to divert the flight to Frankfurt, Germany, for emergency servicing.
“Several of the toilets onboard were found to be non-operational, prompting a precautionary diversion to Frankfurt,” an airline official confirmed to PTI. The flight resumed after roughly two hours on the ground, once basic functionality was restored.
This incident comes just weeks after a similar disruption on March 6, when Air India flight AI126 from Chicago to Delhi had to return mid-air following the failure of eight out of twelve onboard lavatories. That flight, too, used a wide-body aircraft and experienced major passenger discomfort during the 10-hour ordeal before landing back in the U.S.
In a public statement released days after the Chicago incident, Air India detailed that toilet malfunctions had occurred in both Business and Economy classes, attributing the cause to improper use and disposal of inappropriate items such as blankets, diapers, and even undergarments. “We appeal to our valued passengers to use lavatories responsibly to ensure flight safety and comfort,” the airline stated. According to aviation data from Planespotters.net and Flightradar24, many of Air India’s wide-body jets operating long-distance routes from North America are more than a decade old. Insiders explain that the older plumbing systems used in these aircraft consist of interconnected waste tanks and pipes, making them vulnerable—when one tank is blocked, half of the aircraft’s toilets may become unusable.
The frequent recurrence of such mid-air diversions is raising serious questions about Air India’s fleet readiness and the sustainability of its long-haul operations, particularly as demand for travel between North America and India continues to surge post-pandemic.
Industry observers have pointed out that in addition to mechanical ageing, poor passenger habits exacerbate the issues, with inappropriate items being flushed and causing severe blockages not easily fixable in-flight. With Air India aggressively expanding its global footprint under Tata Group ownership, including recent orders for hundreds of new aircraft, aviation experts say fleet modernization can’t come soon enough. Until newer planes replace the ageing wide-body jets, the airline faces a mounting challenge to balance operational reliability with growing international demand—and prevent further passenger dissatisfaction stemming from preventable mid-air diversions.
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