A Delta Air Lines flight from Spain to the U.S. made an emergency landing in Portugal after "fumes were detected in the cabin" and a mechanical issue was reported, the airline said.
Flight DL251 from Barcelona to Boston was diverted to Porto on Sunday, Sept. 27, where it landed safely about four hours into the flight after a mechanical issue was reported, Delta Air Lines told USA TODAY on Sept. 28. Flight data from Flightradar24 showed the plane took off from Barcelona at 3:15 p.m. (1315 GMT) and landed in Porto at 5:59 p.m. (1659 GMT) the same day.
A spokesperson for Portugal's emergency and civil protection authority told Reuters the forced landing was due to smoke in the cabin.
Eight passengers onboard the Airbus A330 plane were treated on the tarmac
at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto, Delta Air Lines said, while three others were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Delta said a total of 283 customers and 13 crew members were on board the flight and that the airline is working to accommodate customers on alternative flights to their final destinations.
"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 airline said.
Earlier Delta flight faces pressurization issue
Sunday's incident comes less than a month after a Delta flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport was diverted to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after a pressurization issue.
About an hour and 22 minutes after Delta Flight DL2311 departed Los Angeles International Airport, the plane, a Boeing 737-900, dropped about 27,000 feet, USA TODAY previously reported. It was traveling at around 36,200 feet before dropping to 9,000 feet in about 10 minutes.
Pilots will lower a plane's altitude because of a pressurization issue to prevent life-threatening conditions, like hypoxia, which occurs when the body doesn't receive enough oxygen, per the FAA.
Oxygen masks were deployed for the 174 passengers and six crew members onboard.
There have been no reported injuries to any of the passengers or crew. After making the emergency landing, passengers were rebooked on a different flight and were able to continue their travels to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contributing: Julia Gomez, USA TODAY / Reuters
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Delta flight diverted after smoke detected in cabin
