Delta flight DL251 from Barcelona to Spain makes emergency landing in Portugal after smoke fills cabin
The terrifying ordeal happened 2.5 hours into an 8.5 hour international flight.
Several people have been hospitalised after a terrifying flight from Spain to the United States was cut short when smoke filled the cabin.
Delta flight DL521 was travelling from Barcelona to Boston on September 27 when it was forced to make an emergency landing, Reuters reported.
After departing around 3.15pm local time, a mechanical issue was reported just two-and-a-half hours into the eight-and-a-half hour journey.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The Airbus A330 aircraft landed at Portugal’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto around 5.45pm local time.
A spokesperson for Portugal’s emergency and civil protection authority told Reuters the emergency landing was due to smoke in the cabin.
After touching down, eight passengers were treated on the tarmac.
Three others were taken to hospital for further treatment related to smoke inhalation.
The Sun reported that 12 passengers received oxygen during the flight.
Local outlet Jornal de Notícias reported that 67 firefighters and 22 vehicles were sent to the airport to greet the aircraft.
The aircraft has capacity for 293 passengers plus crew but it remains unclear how many were onboard at the time of the incident.
Passengers have expressed their frustrations at the airline’s communication about the incident on Reddit.
One said it had been a “truly insane” experience to have received “zero communication from any Delta representative”.
“I received an email about 5 hours after we landed that I had been rebooked on what I assume is the same plane tomorrow to take off at an unspecified time,” they wrote.
“Legitimately may be the worst experience I’ve had with any company / service in my 40 years of life.”
They continued, writing that the poor communication had made “for a stressful day with my two small kids”, adding that the Reddit community had provided more information than the airline itself.
Another passenger of the smoke-filled aircraft wrote that they did not yet know when their new flight would depart from Portugal.
“I’m scared to go to sleep,” they said.
“It took us hours to get out of the airport and to a hotel.
“I also called Delta Diamond Medallion line and they have no idea what is going on or when we are rescheduled.”
