American Airlines flight to Madrid diverted due to bathroom overflow

An American Airlines flight was diverted to New York after crew members discovered problems with the bathrooms.

American Airlines Flight 36 was en route from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Madrid on Wednesday when the problem was discovered, according to the FAA. The plane landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 10:30 p.m.

The FAA said the crew “reported an overflowing toilet” and would now investigate the incident.

An American Airlines spokesperson told Business Insider: “On August 7, American Airlines Flight 36 with service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Madrid (MAD) diverted to New York (JFK) due to a maintenance issue.

The plane landed safely and passengers continued their journey on another plane on Thursday, the representative added. “We do not want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

The problem is known to have been related to the plane’s bathroom sinks and the passengers were given hotel accommodation in New York.

This is not the first time this year that problems with airplane lavatories have caused disruptions. In March, a United Airlines flight from Germany to San Francisco was forced to turn around after one of its toilets reportedly stopped working and began leaking into the cabin.

In February, a KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Los Angeles returned to Amsterdam after eight of nine toilets stopped working.

Airlines, including American, are still recovering from the widespread disruption caused by the Crowdstrike IT outage late last month.

Were you at AA36? Contact this reporter at [email protected]