American Airlines 777 diverts to JFK after six lavatories fail

An American Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Madrid to Dallas-Fort Worth landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after six of the eight lavatories on board became unusable. According to the airline, the diversion took place on October 6, 2026, and the aircraft touched down normally.

Flight AA37 was carrying 275 passengers and 12 crew, leaving two working toilets for 287 people. The airline said the aircraft continued to Dallas after a maintenance inspection. It has not given a reason for the failures.

American said in a statement that it does not want to upset customers' travel plans and apologised for the disruption. The FAA confirmed the crew diverted because too few lavatories were available.

The diversion produced an unusual exchange with air traffic control as the jet neared New York. In a recording posted to a live ATC audio site, a pilot said the aircraft had two toilets working. The controller asked the pilot to confirm the number, and the pilot restated the reason for the diversion. The crew also issued a PAN-PAN call, which signals a serious situation short of a full emergency.

Flight-tracking data showed the 777 stayed at JFK for more than three hours before leaving for Dallas.

Lavatory problems have affected other long-haul services. An Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi turned back to Chicago in March 2025 after eight of its 12 toilets stopped working; the airline said plastic bags, rags and clothing had been flushed into the system and jammed it. In April 2023 an Austrian Airlines Boeing 777 headed for Newark returned to Vienna after five of its eight toilets failed, which the airline linked to the lavatory vacuum system.

What caused the failures on the American flight has not been disclosed.