An American Airlines flight carrying more than 280 passengers was forced to divert to New York after the crew reported that only two lavatories were functioning during the journey.
Mid-flight toilet failure prompts reroute
The Boeing 777 200ER departed Madrid at 11.10am local time on October 6 and was several hours into its 10-hour voyage to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when the lavatory problems emerged. Typically, an American Airlines Boeing 777 features eight toilets, but on this occasion only two were in working order.
As the plane neared John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the pilot informed air traffic control: "So (we) have only two potties operating on board for American 37." He received the query: "You said only two potties. Is that right?"
Pilot declares pan-pan
"That's affirmative," came the pilot's reply. With more than four hours' worth of fuel remaining, the aircraft exceeded its standard landing weight, reports the Express. This led the pilot to declare "pan-pan," the radio signal indicating an urgent scenario that doesn't pose an immediate threat to life.
According to Flightware, the AA37 identified as a 777-223 manufactured in 1999, touched down at JFK following seven hours and 16 minutes airborne, at 12.27pm local time.
Passenger-toilet ratio stressed
"American Airlines Flight 37 landed at JFK International Airport in New York after the crew reported an inadequate number of operational lavatories," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Following nearly three and a half hours grounded at JFK, the same aircraft departed at 3.56pm local time.
The American Airlines aircraft touched down in Dallas at 6.13pm, nearly four hours behind its scheduled 2.15pm arrival. The cause of the toilet malfunction remains unknown.
While aviation authorities don't impose strict, fixed requirements for toilet-to-passenger ratios during flights, carriers typically target one lavatory per 50 travellers. With 287 souls on board and just two functioning facilities, each toilet was catering for over 140 individuals.
Similar incidents in recent memory
This isn't the first time American Airlines has faced such issues - a Boeing 777 on the Dallas-Madrid service was previously rerouted to JFK because of a lavatory problem. On August 7, 2024, flight AA36, operated by 777-200ER N751AN, was diverted to New York after a lavatory overflowed, according to Aviation A2Z.
In March 2025, Air India flight AI126 from Chicago to Delhi made a U-turn after multiple toilets became unusable, landing in Chicago after about 10 hours in the air, according to The Tribune.
