China Airlines' new 777 plane diverts due to smelly toilet, arrives in New York 28 hours late

Reported by reporter You [redacted] / Taipei

China Airlines' brand-new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, on a May 4 flight to New York, had to divert after a malfunction in the toilets caused all 10 onboard toilets to become unusable due to full wastewater tanks in three of them. The flight was diverted to Anchorage Airport and only arrived in New York today (the 6th), 28 hours behind schedule.


▲ The China Airlines 777-300ER is a new aircraft; interior business class illustration. (Photo / Reporter You [redacted])

China Airlines flight CI012 from Taipei to New York on May 4, carrying 275 passengers, discovered 10 hours into the journey that three toilets showed full wastewater levels, leaving all 10 toilets—three in business class and seven in economy—unusable. Passengers reported unpleasant odors on board, and it was confirmed that the toilets were unable to flush urine properly, so the toilets were locked down as an emergency measure. The crew decided to divert to Anchorage for repairs.

China Airlines stated that flight CI012 from Taipei to New York departed at 18:37 on May 4 and was diverted to Anchorage due to a malfunction in the lavatory wastewater tanks. It arrived in Anchorage at 14:40 local time on May 4. The lavatory wastewater tank issue has since been resolved. Considering that the crew must comply with legal rest requirements before resuming flight duties, the flight is now scheduled to depart Anchorage at 14:00 local time on May 5 and is expected to arrive in New York at 02:00 local time on May 6. The total delay is approximately 28 hours. China Airlines deeply apologizes for the inconvenience caused to passengers.