- A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 U-turned before crossing the Atlantic.
- The flight crew observed a potential engine issue and returned to JFK Airport.
- The 212 passengers later departed some 12 hours after they first took off.
Hundreds of passengers endured a five-hour flight to nowhere after a Delta Air Lines plane turned back.
The Boeing 767 left New York’s JFK Airport for Edinburgh, Scotland on November 24.
Data from FlightAware shows Flight 208 had just reached the Atlantic Ocean when it turned back over the coast of Newfoundland.
Delta said the flight crew observed a potential engine issue before crossing the ocean, and followed established procedures to return to JFK.
The 767 landed back in New York about 3 a.m., some five hours after departing.
There were 212 passengers and 11 crew members on board, Delta said. Passengers were provided with accommodation and meals before leaving New York again at 10 a.m. — about 12 hours after their initial departure.
“Delta apologizes to our customers for the delay in their travels and we appreciate their patience,” the airline said in a statement shared with Business Insider. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.”
It’s not the only example of a flight to nowhere in recent weeks.
On Sunday, a KLM Boeing 777 U-turned over the Atlantic, leaving passengers with a four-hour flight to nowhere.
In late October, a British Airways Boeing 777 experienced a problem over the Atlantic. It turned back to London and landed at Heathrow nine hours after takeoff.
For carriers flying over the Atlantic, returning to a flight to nowhere is often the best decision when something goes wrong. It’s typically simpler for airlines to reroute passengers and fix planes back at their hub airports than abroad.
