'Safety first': New York-bound Delta flight lands at remote island, flyers stranded for 29 hours

A Delta flight had to make an emergency landing at a remote volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after Flight 127 carrying 282 passengers and 13 crew members developed a mid-air engine problem. The plane was flying from Madrid to New YorK on Sunday and had to make the emergency landing after four hours of flying.

The flight landed at Lajes Airport in the Portuguese island of Terceira which is part of the Azores, a remote archipelago 1000 miles away from the mainland, Business Insider reported.

"As safety comes before all else at Delta, the flight crew followed procedures to divert to Lajes, Azores, after indication of a mechanical issue with an engine," said an airline spokesperson to BI.

But the emergency landing was not the end of the ordeal for the passengers, it was just the beginning as they had to stay at the remote island for 29 hours before Delta could send another plane from New York.

Flight-tracking data revealed that five hours after the Delta plane made the emergency landing, another Delta plane started from JFK Airport.

Finally, the passengers could reach New York, 31 hours after they were expected to land.

Delta arranged for the passengers' accommodation and food in nearby hotels. The airline has not yet specified the engine problem and the aircraft in question was still parked at the island airport on Wednesday. Delta said it would be contacting the passengers and offer them compensation.

In 2023, a Delta plane from Ghana landed at Lajes Airport due to a mechanical issue with a backup oxygen system. major row erupted at that time as a passenger claimed that crew member told them when they were stranded that they should be grateful that the plane did not crash in the sea.