Title: Delta Flight Forced to Make Emergency Landing Due to Passenger’s “Fecal Fiasco”
By Marjorie Hernandez | September 4, 2023 | 3:32pm
A Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona experienced an unexpected turn of events when it was forced to make an emergency landing due to a passenger’s severe case of diarrhea. The incident unfolded on Friday when the Airbus A350 aircraft had already been flying for two hours during its transatlantic journey.
According to air traffic control communications recorded from LiveATC.com, the pilot urgently requested to return to Atlanta, citing a “biohazard issue” caused by the passenger’s uncontrollable condition. “We’ve had a passenger who’s had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta,” the pilot explained.
The identity of the passenger remains unknown, but both the passengers and crew were reassigned to another flight, DL194, which finally arrived in Barcelona at 5:10 p.m. the following day. This delay caused the flight to be eight hours later than the originally scheduled time, as reported by Flightradar24.
It is unclear whether the passenger responsible for the incident was still aboard the plane during landing in Spain. However, an alleged Federal Aviation Authority flight strip circulating on Reddit appeared to confirm the presence of “biohazard” throughout the aircraft.
News of this unfortunate incident and the subsequent flight delay quickly spread across social media, capturing public attention and generating viral discussion.
Upon landing in Atlanta, cleaning crews promptly sanitized the plane, allowing it to be used for another flight, as per flight records. Delta officials confirmed the occurrence of a “medical issue” on the flight, resulting in the emergency landing and subsequent cleaning. However, they did not provide specific details regarding the medical reason for the incident.
A Delta spokesperson expressed apologies to customers for the travel disruptions caused by the delay, stating, “Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the airplane and get our customers to their final destination.”
This incident adds to a challenging week for Delta passengers, as another flight bound for Milan, Italy, had to be redirected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on August 29 due to severe turbulence, resulting in injuries to 11 passengers.
As the airline industry continues to face unpredictable situations, ensuring passenger safety and maintaining operational efficiency remain paramount concerns for airlines like Delta.