World
American airline's flight returns after passenger's medical emergency
Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) flight strip confirmed the reason for the mid-air U-turn.
Atlanta: An American airline flight bound for Spain was forced to return to Atlanta just two hours after takeoff due to a "medical emergency," with the incident captured on an audio recording of communication between the pilot and air traffic control.
The pilot explained, "It was just a medical issue, and we had a passenger who needed to return to Atlanta."
The audio recording was posted on social media along with images of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) flight strip confirming the reason for the U-turn in mid-air.
After the initial landing of Delta Airlines' Airbus A350, ground crews spent five hours cleaning the aircraft thoroughly.
Passengers, including the affected traveler, were allowed to re-board the plane after an eight-hour delay, reaching Barcelona without any further incidents.
Some passengers on the same flight had previously complained on social media about the airline's sanitation measures, suggesting that the crew was working diligently to remove dirt with paper towels and potent disinfectants.
Delta Airlines has attributed the incident to "medical issues." In a statement, they said, "Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to get our customers to their destination. We apologize to our customers for any delay and inconvenience in their travel plans."
This incident comes a week after Air Canada issued an apology to two passengers who complained of being seated on vomit-covered seats during a flight from Seattle to Montreal.