AMSTERDAM, Feb 14: Passengers aboard a KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner faced an unexpected setback during a Transatlantic journey when eight out of nine bathrooms on the aircraft malfunctioned, prompting the pilots to make a mid-flight turnaround.
The incident unfolded as the flight, carrying over 200 passengers, departed from Amsterdam en route to Los Angeles on Monday, as reported by airlive.net. Shortly after takeoff, flight attendants discovered that only one bathroom was operational, leading to concerns among crew and passengers alike.
According to data from Flightradar24, approximately an hour into the flight, the pilots deliberated returning to Amsterdam. Initially, the aircraft circled north of the UK before the decision was made to proceed with the journey. However, two hours later, over Greenland, the pilots opted to reverse course, leading to an unexpected 6½-hour return flight to the departure city.
Following the incident, KLM took swift action, replacing the affected Boeing 787 with another aircraft, which departed from Amsterdam nine hours later than scheduled, as reported by Simple Flying. The faulty aircraft was subsequently repaired, evident as it resumed service with a flight to Houston and back the following day, per Flightradar24 data.
Despite inquiries, KLM did not provide a comment regarding the incident to Business Insider. While rare, such occurrences are not unprecedented in the aviation industry. Last April, Austrian Airlines faced a similar situation when multiple toilets on one of its flights malfunctioned, affecting over 300 passengers. Similarly, in 2018, a Norwegian flight, coincidentally carrying 85 plumbers among its passengers, had to return to the airport due to toilet malfunctions, highlighting the occasional challenges airlines face in maintaining restroom facilities mid-flight.
<p>The post Boeing 787 diverts after 8 bathrooms fail during Transatlantic flight first appeared on ARAB TIMES – KUWAIT NEWS.</p>