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Time of India
06-05-2025
- Time of India
Air India Toronto-Delhi flight diverted to Frankfurt due to clogged toilets
NEW DELHI: An aircraft heading from Toronto to Delhi was rerouted to Frankfurt on May 2 due to blocked toilets, according to PTI sources. The airline's official response, reported on Tuesday, indicated a technical fault as the cause of diversion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now PTI sources within the airline revealed that flight AI188's diversion was necessary because several toilets were non-functional. On May 2, Air India flight AI188's non-stop service from Toronto to Delhi landed in Frankfurt citing technical difficulties. "The flight resumed its journey to Delhi from Frankfurt after approximately two hours," stated the Air India representative. The service utilised a Boeing 7770-337 (ER) aircraft, according to tracking data. The aircraft had been in service for 15.8 years, as documented by A report indicated that Air India faces challenges with long-distance flights due to its ageing fleet and passenger conduct. This incident marked the second occurrence in under two months where an due to toilet blockages. Previously, on March 6, flight AI126 travelling from Chicago to Delhi returned after more than 10 hours in the air because of similar issues. On March 10, Air India released a comprehensive statement regarding the March 6 Chicago-Delhi flight incident. The crew reported malfunctioning toilets in both Business and Economy sections approximately one hour and forty-five minutes into the journey. "Eventually, eight out of twelve aircraft toilets became non-functional, causing passenger discomfort," stated the airline regarding flight AI126. The airline subsequently requested passengers to "use lavatories appropriately" and disclosed finding items including blankets, undergarments, and nappies flushed down toilets on various flights. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The majority of wide-body aircraft serving US and Canadian routes are older, leading to recurring plumbing issues. The aged, interconnected pipe system means a single waste tank blockage affects half the aircraft's toilets. Wide-body aircraft typically feature two waste tanks connected to the toilet pipes, the source explained. Additionally, the certain passengers are seen to carelessly dispose of rubbish in toilets, causing blockages.
NDTV
06-05-2025
- NDTV
Delhi Bound Air India Flight Diverted Due To Clogged Toilets On May 2
New Delhi/ Mumbai: An Air India flight from Toronto to the national capital was diverted to Frankfurt on May 2 due to clogged lavatories, according to sources. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said the flight was diverted due to a technical issue. The airline sources said flight AI188 had to be diverted to Frankfurt as some of the lavatories were unserviceable. This was at least the second instance in less than two months that an Air India wide body aircraft had to return mid-air due to clogged lavatories. On March 6, flight AI126 from Chicago to Delhi returned to the US city after being airborne for more than 10 hours due to the same issue. On May 2, flight AI188, 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," the Air India spokesperson said in a statement. The flight was operated with a Boeing 7770-337 (ER) aircraft as per information available on flight tracking website The aircraft was 15.8 years old, according to information from the website One of the sources said there are problems with Air India aircraft operating ultra-long haul routes due to the old fleet and passengers' behaviour. A majority of the wide body planes operating flights on the US and Canada routes are old due to which the plumbing issues keep cropping up. The pipes are old and interconnected, and whenever a waste tank gets choked, it blocks half of the lavatories of the aircraft. Generally, there are two waste tanks on a wide body plane to which these lavatory pipes are connected, the source added. Further, the source said that some passengers recklessly throwing garbage in the toilet also results in choking the system. Air India, on March 10, had issued a detailed statement about the air return of the Chicago-Delhi flight on March 6. 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 airline had said in the statement about flight AI126. At that time, the airline had 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, inner wear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights.
Economic Times
06-05-2025
- Economic Times
Air India diverted Toronto-Delhi flight to Frankfurt due to clogged lavatories on May 2
An Air India flight from Toronto to the national capital was diverted to Frankfurt on May 2 due to clogged lavatories, according to sources. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said the flight was diverted due to a technical issue. The airline sources said flight AI188 had to be diverted to Frankfurt as some of the lavatories were unserviceable. This was at least the second instance in less than two months that an Air India wide body aircraft had to return mid-air due to clogged lavatories. On March 6, flight AI126 from Chicago to Delhi returned to the US city after being airborne for more than 10 hours due to the same issue. On May 2, flight AI188, 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," the Air India spokesperson said in a statement. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) The flight was operated with a Boeing 7770-337 (ER) aircraft as per information available on flight tracking website The aircraft was 15.8 years old, according to information from the website One of the sources said there are problems with Air India aircraft operating ultra-long haul routes due to the old fleet and passengers' behaviour. A majority of the wide body planes operating flights on the US and Canada routes are old due to which the plumbing issues keep cropping up. The pipes are old and interconnected, and whenever a waste tank gets choked, it blocks half of the lavatories of the aircraft. Generally, there are two waste tanks on a wide body plane to which these lavatory pipes are connected, the source added. Further, the source said that some passengers recklessly throwing garbage in the toilet also results in choking the system. Air India, on March 10, had issued a detailed statement about the air return of the Chicago-Delhi flight on March 6. 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 airline had said in the statement about flight AI126. At that time, the airline had 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, inner wear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Another cargo airline downsizes operations as parcel business dries up
AirExplore, a Slovakia-based contract carrier for other airlines, is disengaging from cargo flying because of limited demand for narrowbody freighters and will focus on its passenger business, FreightWaves has learned. The news follows other recent examples of small or midsize airlines that provide supplemental capacity to network carriers discontinuing or downsizing cargo operations amid a glut of standard-size freighters and stagnant parcel volumes. AirExplore, a subsidiary of Lithuanian-owned holding company Avia Solutions Group, earlier this month issued a vague statement about changing its approach to cargo operations to align with market conditions. The statement was buried in a news release about airlines securing additional airlift from third-party providers to keep up with travel demand. The airline is reducing its cargo fleet by two or three aircraft, returning aircraft to lessors and subleasing some units to other carriers because of the slowdown in business, spokesperson Silvije Sileike said in an email message. It continues to seek long-term transportation service agreements for its remaining aircraft.'We were presuming that the e-commerce and narrow-body freighter market would grow more significantly after Covid, but the situation in the market is not as we expected. Currently, we are optimizing our fleet and focusing on the passenger business,' she explained. As recently as last month, AirExplore's operating fleet included eight Boeing 737-800 converted freighter aircraft. It added some cargo jets last year and in November earned U.S. approval to begin passenger and cargo operations in U.S. airspace under a conditional foreign carrier permit using large aircraft on charter from other providers. Aircraft tracking site Flightradar24 shows only two cargo jets currently in operation – one in Europe and one in Africa. The database shows three aircraft are in parked status. Sileike said AirExplore has leased one freighter aircraft to Allied Air Nigeria, which operates for DHL Express in Africa, and another to Ascend Airways Malaysia, a new carrier owned by Avia Solutions Group that expects to begin operations late this year. Air Ascend Malaysia, a business-to-business passenger and cargo airline, is waiting for Malaysian authorities to issue an air operators rethink about air cargo operations is not unique. Sister company SmartLynx Airlines is shelving its fleet of Airbus A321 narrowbody freighters after losing a contract with DHL Express in Europe and having difficulty finding other customers. It too is returning planes to lessors, placing some aircraft with affiliated companies and subleasing to other carriers. Avia Solutions Group last year shut down Iceland-based Bluebird Nordic, which operated Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 converted freighters, because it couldn't generate enough business during and after the airfreight downturn that lasted until the second half of 2023. The airline, which provided crewed aircraft to DHL, FedEx, UPS and other airlines, returned its fleet to lessors. Canadian passenger airline WestJet closed its freighter division, which utilized four 737-800s, after one year because it couldn't generate enough business providing scheduled cargo service. Global Crossing Airlines in Miami last year capped its freighter fleet at four Airbus A321 freighters because of thin business but has recently seen a pickup in demand. Miami-based Amerijet, which operates larger Boeing 767 converted freighters, cut its fleet in half over the past two years and currently runs about 11 aircraft. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. SmartLynx Airlines disbanding cargo charter fleet Icelandic cargo airline Bluebird Nordic shuts downThe post Another cargo airline downsizes operations as parcel business dries up appeared first on FreightWaves.
