On Wednesday morning, a Delta Airlines international flight from Detroit to the Netherlands had to make an emergency landing in New York due to passengers consuming spoiled meals provided on board.
Delta Airlines stated in a press release, “On Wednesday morning, after reports of some in-flight meals in the main cabin being spoiled, Delta Airlines Flight 136 from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.”
The flight took off from Detroit, Michigan, around 11 pm on Tuesday night, and after flying for several hours, the crew discovered that a portion of the in-flight meals in the main cabin had gone bad, necessitating a turnaround to land at JFK Airport in New York around 4 am.
It is currently unclear how many passengers on Flight 136 consumed the spoiled food and how many felt unwell as a result.
However, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), when emergency medical rescue personnel met the flight upon its emergency landing at JFK Airport, they treated 12 passengers for medical issues.
Delta Airlines stated that they are working with their food supplier to quarantine the meals and immediately launch an investigation.
The decision to divert the flight back to the United States was made after consulting medical experts, and Delta Airlines has issued an apology to the passengers for the incident.
“This is not the service Delta Airlines is known for, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and travel delays caused to our passengers,” Delta Airlines said in a statement.
The involved flight was operated on an Airbus A330 aircraft with 277 passengers on board. Delta Airlines has provided hotel accommodations for these passengers and booked them on alternate flights.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Delta Airlines Flight 136 was scheduled to depart from JFK Airport at 3 pm on Wednesday and was expected to arrive in Amsterdam early Thursday morning, delayed by approximately 16 hours.