Toilets defective: AUA machine had to turn back

An Austrian Airlines plane from Vienna to New York had to turn around on Monday after about two hours of flight time because five of eight toilets were defective. The crew decided to return via Amsterdam and not to land at Newark Airport, a spokeswoman for AUA confirmed to media reports. The reason for the defect was a vacuum problem that caused the blockage. The flight would have taken eight hours, 300 passengers were on board.

According to the spokeswoman, there would have been no possibility of repairs in New York, so the Boeing 777 would have had to fly back with the defective toilets. After returning to Schwechat, the affected passengers were rebooked on other flights, including the evening flight to JFK Airport. The machine has since been repaired, the spokeswoman said.