A Delta Air Lines flight travelling from Barcelona, Spain, to Boston, United States, was forced to make an emergency landing in Portugal after smoke was reported inside the aircraft.
Flight DL251, operated by an 11-year-old Airbus A330-300 with registration N824NW, departed Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport shortly after 3pm local time.
The aircraft initially climbed to 33,000 feet over mainland Spain before continuing its Atlantic crossing at about 32,000 feet.
About two hours into the journey, while the aircraft was flying west over the Atlantic, the crew declared an emergency after a medical situation developed onboard and smoke was reported in the cabin.
The pilots transmitted “Squawk 7700”, the internationally recognised transponder code used to indicate a general emergency, and requested a diversion to the nearest suitable airport.
Air traffic controllers subsequently directed the aircraft towards Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto, Portugal.
The Airbus A330 landed safely on Runway 35 slightly more than three hours after departing Barcelona.
Portuguese media reports said four people were taken to hospital following the emergency landing, while 12 passengers onboard the aircraft reportedly required oxygen during the flight.
Delta later rescheduled the affected flight’s onward journey to Boston for 1pm local time the following day.
The diversion also disrupted other operations involving the aircraft and crew.
Delta confirmed that connected flights DL276 and DL277 had been cancelled as a result of the aircraft being out of position.
Passengers affected by the cancellations are being rebooked on alternative flights, while some have been provided with accommodation pending the rescheduled departure.
The airline has not indicated that the aircraft’s emergency landing resulted in any further damage to the plane.
The incident comes as the flight crew responded to the reported smoke and medical situation by diverting the aircraft rather than continuing across the Atlantic.
