- Two Transatlantic flights to Toronto U-turned over the ocean on Monday after a Delta flight crashed.
- More than 40 other flights had to divert when Toronto Pearson International Airport closed.
- Flights to nowhere are a pain for passengers but are often the best option for airlines.
Two transatlantic flights to nowhere were among dozens of planes that diverted due to Monday’s Delta plane crash in Toronto.
Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily closed both its runways after a Bombardier CRJ900 flipped over and lost both its wings. 80 people were on board, 18 of whom were injured.
A British Airways Boeing 777, was flying from London to Toronto when the incident occurred.
British Airways Flight 99 had flown for three hours, before U-turning over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data.
It landed back at London Heathrow around midnight local time — six hours after taking off from there.
The flight to Toronto typically takes around eight hours.
Another Toronto-bound flight, from Lisbon and operated by TAP Air Portugal, appeared to fly around two hours across the Atlantic before starting to change direction, per Flightradar24.
It appeared to be initially set to divert to the Azores — a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic — but ultimately landed back in Lisbon around eight hours after taking off.
TAP and British Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Flightradar24 said it tracked an additional 44 flights which diverted due to Monday’s plane crash.
11 of those diverted to nearby Montreal, as well as nine to Ottawa, six to Hamilton, and three to each of Chicago O’Hare and Pittsburgh.
As well as being annoying for passengers, diversions can also be costly for airlines — with knock-on effects on their flight schedules.
While flying hundreds or even thousands of miles back over the ocean may look odd, it is relatively common. This is because it is easier for airlines to reroute and accommodate passengers and crew at a hub airport.
In incidents like this, airports closer to the destination may also have limited capacity to handle additional flights.
