NEW DELHI: Just two months after an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi earned international 'notoriety' due to blocked toilets, it has just come to light that a similar incident took place on May 2.
This time it involved a flight from Toronto to Delhi. Air India billed the incident as 'a technical issue.'
The incident took place on flight AI 188, a Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying nearly 250 passengers. The flight had taken off only at 5.53 pm (local time) from Toronto with a delay of 5 hours and 38 minutes, reveals FlightAware, a flight tracking platform. The non-stop flight was airborne when it was diverted to Frankfurt.
The issue appears to have surfaced mid-air forcing the diversion. The clogged toilets were rectified at Frankfurt and the flight took off two hours later to Delhi.
An Air India spokesperson said, “Air India flight AI 888 on May 2, operating non-stop from Toronto to Delhi, was diverted to Frankfurt due to a technical issue. The flight was airborne from Frankfurt within a couple of hours and proceeded to its destination, Delhi.”
He added, “We would like to reiterate that at Air India, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain top priority.”
It has been understood that multiple toilets out of the 12 present in the aircraft was clogged. Air India refused to divulge any details regarding the specific issue despite multiple calls.
In the March 6 incident, eight out of 12 toilets had been clogged after it left Chicago and the flight returned to its originating airport. Polythene bags, rags and clothes were later found to have been dumped inside. Pictures were then shared online by passengers.