Old, Unrelated Video Shared As Footage From Air India Flight Forced To Return To US Due To Clogged Toilets

A 28-second video, purportedly showing passengers inside an aircraft, has gone viral across social platforms with the claim that it is from the Delhi-bound Air India flight that was forced to return to Chicago on March 6 allegedly owing to clogged toilets.

“Air India flight was forced to return on a 10 hour trip to Chicago Illinois because their toilets were clogged with poop leaving hundreds Indians trapped on a plane with no restroom…Air India said that it would offer refunds for the cancellation, but that was little relief to some customers — who claimed they were forced to jump through hoops to get their flights rescheduled or refunded,” read an X post, sharing the video, which has clocked nine million views so far. The video was also shared by multiple media outlets, including News18, Indian Express and ET Now, in their reports on the incident.

Air India Flight Forced To Return To US

Passengers aboard an Air India flight to Delhi suffered a 10-hour trip to nowhere when the plane was forced to circle back to Chicago because all but one of its toilets allegedly became clogged and inoperable. Air India Flight 126 was making its way over Greenland 5 when 11 out of its 12 toilets broke down, with the only working toilet located in the business class section for some 300 passengers to use, according to a New York post report, dated March 9, 2025.

“AI126 operating Chicago to Delhi on 6 March 2025 air-returned to Chicago due to a technical issue. Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and were 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. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew remain top priority,” an Air India spokesperson reportedly said.

Fact Check

Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to the same video shared on X on January 6, 2025, stating that passengers on an Air India plane at the London Gatwick airport were told the flight was cancelled after sitting on the plane for seven hours.

“Air India passengers who waited 7 hours on the plane at Gatwick, London reacted when they learnt that the flight was cancelled,” read a January 6, 2025 Instagram post by Turkey-based TV show Londra Aktuel, which focuses on England-related news.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Londra Aktuel Official (Yeni Hesap) (@londraaktueltv)

Although we could not independently ascertain when and whether the viral video is from Gatwick, London, we can confirm that it has been on the internet at least two months before the widely reported lavatory debacle on March 6, 2025 that forced a Delhi-bound Air India flight to return to Chicago.

Also Read: Viral Photo Of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir With PM Modi Is AI-Generated

Conclusion

Old video falsely claims to show passengers aboard the Delhi-bound Air India flight that was forced to return to Chicago on March 6 owing to clogged toilets.

Sources
X post, UB1UB2, January 6, 2025
Instagram post,  Londra Aktue, January 6, 2025