Delta Air Lines Flight 876, a Boeing 717, returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday after the crew reported “possible smoke” inside the aircraft. The flight, originally bound for Columbia, S.C., safely landed around 9 a.m., prompting an emergency declaration and evacuation via slides for the 94 passengers and crew. Delta stated that medical teams were assisting two passengers, and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. This comes amid a challenging period for Delta, following another incident involving injuries last week and a flight that returned to Los Angeles due to smoke in the galley.
A Delta Air Lines flight made an emergency return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday morning after the crew reported “potential smoke” inside the plane, leading the pilot to declare an emergency and passengers to evacuate using slides once the aircraft landed safely, according to the airline and federal officials.
Flight 876, a Boeing 717, was en route to Columbia, S.C., but returned to Atlanta around 9 a.m. The flight had 94 passengers, along with two pilots and three flight attendants, as stated by the airline.
“The flight crew adhered to protocols to return to Atlanta upon noticing a haze inside the aircraft after it had departed,” Delta noted in a statement.
A Delta representative mentioned that medical teams were providing assistance to two passengers.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority, and we sincerely apologize for the experience our customers faced,” the airline expressed.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the crew reported “possible smoke” in the flight deck, which will be investigated.
This incident adds to a series of challenging events for Delta and the airline industry in general.
Just last week, a Delta jet departing from Minneapolis was attempting to land at Toronto Pearson Airport when it flipped over on the tarmac, resulting in injuries to at least 18 people. The airline announced it would compensate each passenger on that flight with $30,000.
On Saturday, another Delta flight carrying 162 passengers that took off from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Sydney, Australia, had to return after smoke was detected in the galley, as confirmed by an airline representative.