A Boston-bound Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Portugal, disrupting travel plans for more than 280 passengers.
The flight on Sunday from Barcelona, Spain, to Boston, Massachusetts, was diverted to Porto after smoke was detected in the cabin.
Agence France-Presse reported that 14 passengers required medical attention after the plane landed, citing Portugal’s civil protection service. Of the 14 passengers, four were taken to local hospitals for smoke inhalation and were reportedly only “lightly” affected, the news agency said.
A Delta spokesperson confirmed the Sept. 27 incident to Fox News Digital but did not comment on the hospitalization reports. The diversion was due to a “reported mechanical issue,” the official said. “The flight landed safely, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels as we work to get them to Boston as safely and quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.
Delta Air Lines said it was working to rebook customers on alternative flights to their final destinations. The Airbus A330-300 carried 13 crew members and 283 customers.
The air in aircraft cabins “is as good as or better than the air found in offices and homes,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. “In rare instances, mechanical issues such as failures of an engine oil seal or recirculation fan bearings can cause fumes to enter the cabin,” the FAA notes on its website.
“Airlines are required to report these incidents to the FAA. The FAA investigates the causes and makes sure they’re fixed before the aircraft returns to service,” the agency states.
All airlines are required “to supply clean air to both passengers and crew members,” the FAA added. “Airplanes must be designed to provide the equivalent of 0.55 pounds of fresh air per minute per occupant, a ventilation rate that is consistent with other public environments,” the agency’s website states.
Delta officials said Monday that three passengers had been discharged from the hospital. Two flight crew members also sought medical attention when the plane landed, officials said. Officials said the airline is working to help the 283 passengers on board the flight reach their final destination.
“Delta flight 251 from Barcelona to Boston diverted to Porto, Portugal following a reported mechanical issue,” Delta spokesperson Grant Myatt said in a statement. “The flight landed safely, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels as we work to get them to Boston as safely and quickly as possible.”
According to FlightAware tracking data, the flight took off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport around 3:15 p.m. and landed at Porto Airport three hours and 44 minutes later. Local emergency personnel met the aircraft upon arrival, airline officials said.
Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias reported that as many as 14 passengers received medical attention on the tarmac. Local medical officials could not immediately be reached for confirmation.
The emergency landing took place just days after a Delta flight departing Logan International Airport for London had to turn around on Thursday night following reports of an odor on board. No further details were available on Monday, but officials confirmed the incident occurred on a different type of aircraft.
Delta officials added that smoke, fume, and odor events are rare but something the airline takes seriously. These odors can originate from many different sources, they said.
Flight data from tracking service Flightradar24 suggested the plane left Barcelona at 3:15 p.m. (1315 GMT) and landed in Porto at 5:45 p.m. (1645 GMT). Eight passengers who had been onboard the Airbus A330 plane were treated on the tarmac at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto while three others were taken to hospital for treatment, a spokesperson for Portugal’s emergency and civil protection authority told Reuters by phone. The forced landing was due to smoke in the cabin, the Portuguese spokesperson added.
Earlier this year, a Cape Air flight bound for Boston was forced to return to Nantucket, Massachusetts, shortly after takeoff when the upper section of its main cabin door partially opened mid-flight.
More recently, a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Orlando returned to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport minutes after takeoff due to a reported medical issue involving a pilot. The Aug. 31 flight, which carried 178 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely before Delta arranged for a new crew to continue the trip to Orlando.
