A Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Barcelona had to divert and execute an emergency landing due to a severe diarrhea episode experienced by one of its passengers.
The unfortunate incident unfolded when the Airbus A350 was roughly two hours into its journey from Atlanta to Spain, prompting the pilot to make an unexpected decision.
The pilot alerted air traffic control in a moment that has since been captured and circulated on social media, stating, "We have a biohazard situation on board. A passenger has, regrettably, experienced diarrhea throughout the entire plane. We need to return to Atlanta."
Who was it?
While the identity of the passenger involved has not been disclosed, the passengers and crew members were transferred to another aircraft.
Flight DL194 eventually touched down in Barcelona at 5:10 p.m. the following day - a delay of eight hours from the original schedule, according to Flightradar24. It remains unreported whether the passenger who encountered the distressing situation boarded the replacement flight to Spain.
FAA: The plane was thoroughly sanitized
Upon landing in Atlanta, the FAA dispatched cleaning crews to thoroughly sanitize the plane. Flight records confirm that the aircraft later resumed its journey. Senior officials from the airline verified that an in-flight "medical problem" necessitated the emergency landing, as reported by Insider.
While the company did not specify the exact medical reasons for the diversion, a Delta spokesperson stated, "Our crews acted swiftly and safely to comprehensively clean the aircraft and ensure our passengers reached their final destination. We extend our sincere apologies to our passengers for the delay and the inconvenience caused to their travel plans."