A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to return to Atlanta on Monday morning after the crew reported “possible smoke” in the cabin, marking the second smoke-related incident involving a Delta flight in less than a week.
Delta Flight 876 departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 8:30 a.m., en route to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. However, approximately 35 minutes into the flight, the aircraft turned back to Atlanta, landing at 9:04 a.m., according to FlightAware.com.
In a statement, Delta confirmed that the crew observed a haze inside the aircraft after departure and followed safety procedures to return to the airport.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience,” the airline stated.
Upon landing, emergency slides were deployed, and Atlanta Fire Rescue assisted in deplaning all 94 passengers, along with two pilots and three flight attendants.
Airport officials reported a moderate impact on operations due to the emergency landing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it would investigate the incident.
Monday’s emergency landing comes just two days after another Delta flight was forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport while en route to Australia due to smoke detected in the galley. The FAA is also investigating that incident.
Both events have raised concerns over smoke-related safety issues on Delta flights, prompting increased scrutiny of the airline’s procedures and aircraft maintenance.
