A commercial airline had to make an unexpected pit stop.
After a Delta jet experienced engine problems, the flight was forced to land on an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, where the nearly 300 travelers on board had to spend the night, officials told NBC News July 10.
The plane—which left Madrid on July 6 and was headed for New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport—was diverted to the civil parish Lajes on the Portuguese island Azores after the pilots received “indication of a mechanical issue with an engine,” Delta said in a statement to the outlet.
At the time, the flight was carrying 282 passengers and 13 crew members on board, the airline confirmed.
After the customers and employees were deplaned via stairs at the Lajes airport (TER), they were directed to lodging for the night on the island, where they were “accommodated overnight in area hotels and provided meals,” according to Delta’s statement.
