Lavatories clogged that made its Delhi-bound flight return to Chicago, Another flight faces bomb hoax

An Air India flight from Mumbai to New York returned to Mumbai following a bomb threat on Monday morning, according to sources.

The aircraft, carrying more than 320 people, landed safely at Mumbai and is undergoing mandatory checks by the security agencies.

"A potential security threat was detected mid-flight on AI119 operating Mumbai-New York (JFK) today, 10 March 2025. After following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, in the interest of the safety and security of all on board," Air India said in a statement.

The sources said there was a bomb threat and a note was found in one of the lavatories of the plane. There were 322 people, including 19 crew members in the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, one of the sources said.

According to the airline, the flight landed safely back in Mumbai at 1025 am (local time).

"The aircraft is undergoing mandatory checks by security agencies, and Air India is extending its full cooperation to the authorities," it said.The flight has been rescheduled to operate at 5 am on March 11.

All passengers have been offered hotel accommodation, meals, and other assistance until then, the airline said.

Days after its Delhi-bound aircraft returned to Chicago due to unserviceable lavatories, Air India on Monday said its probe found that polythene bags, rags and clothes had been flushed down and were stuck in the plumbing.

On March 6, AI126 from Chicago to Delhi returned to the US city and on that day, the airline said the air return was due to a technical issue.

The same day, a source aware of the development told PTI that the aircraft had to return as many of the lavatories were clogged.

In a detailed statement on the air return of AI126, Air India on Monday said 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 said.

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, Air India said and added that the decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.

"We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating from Chicago to Delhi on March 5, 2025 that caused the flight's diversion back to its origin, Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

"We would like to confirm that as part of our investigation into the incident, our teams found polythene bags, rags and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable," the statement said.

Air India also urged passengers to use "lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for" and mentioned that previously, its teams had found objects like blankets, innerwear and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights.