American Airlines flight diverts to JFK after lavatory failures

An American Airlines Boeing 777 diverted to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on October 6, 2026, after six of its eight lavatories became inoperable during a flight from Madrid to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Flight AA37 was carrying 275 passengers and 12 crew members. Approximately two-thirds of the way through the 10-hour journey, the crew issued a ‘pan-pan’ urgency call to air traffic control, noting that only two toilets were functioning. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the diversion was due to an inadequate number of operational lavatories.

The aircraft landed safely at JFK after more than seven hours in the air. Following a maintenance inspection that lasted approximately three and a half hours, the plane continued its journey to Dallas. American Airlines apologized for the disruption but has not specified the cause of the plumbing failure.