American Airlines flight diverts to JFK after most lavatories fail midair

An American Airlines flight from Madrid to Dallas-Fort Worth diverted to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday after all but two of the plane’s lavatories stopped working over the Atlantic.

American Flight 37 landed safely at JFK on Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew had reported an inadequate number of working lavatories, CNN reported. The Boeing 777 was carrying 275 passengers and 12 crew members, according to Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, which cited American Airlines. A 777 typically has eight lavatories, according to CNN’s report.

The pilot told air traffic controllers the plane had “only two potties” operating, and confirmed it when a controller asked him to repeat it.

An airline spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the diversion was caused by a lavatory problem. The spokesperson said the aircraft underwent a maintenance inspection at JFK and later resumed its flight to Dallas. American did not respond to CNN’s request for comment at the time of that report.

The plane still carried more than four hours of fuel, which put it over its normal landing weight, CNN reported. That can cause problems such as overheated brakes. The pilot declared “pan-pan,” an international call for an urgent situation that is not life-threatening.

The aircraft remained at JFK for more than three hours before continuing to Dallas, arriving several hours behind schedule. The cause of the lavatory failures has not been disclosed.

Steven Arroyo, a retired airline captain in Florida, told Fox News Digital that “passenger comfort and hygiene heavily influenced” the pilot’s decision. He said an international flight must divert to a U.S. gateway airport with customs and immigration services, such as JFK, Newark, Philadelphia or Boston, so maintenance crews can board and repair the plane.