Delta Flight Suffers Engine Failure At 38,000 ft Leaving Nearly 300 Passengers Stranded For 31 Hours In The Middle Of Atlantic Ocean

A Delta flight headed from Madrid to New York hit engine trouble mid-journey and had to make an emergency landing on a tiny island in the Atlantic, turning a routine trip into a 31-hour ordeal, according to officials.

Flight 127 took off from Madrid on Sunday, aiming for JFK, but a mechanical issue forced the crew to divert to Lajes in the Azores. Not exactly the New York skyline, but at least it was solid ground.

Delta said 282 passengers and 13 crew members were on board the Airbus A330.

After landing, everyone got off the plane using the stairs and spent the night in local hotels—meals included. By Monday, Delta sent another aircraft to scoop everyone up and get them back on track.

Delta apologised for the whole mess, saying they were sorry for the delay and the hassle. The replacement flight finally left just after 9 p.m. GMT on Monday and landed at JFK around 10:36 p.m. ET. All in all, the travellers got to New York more than 31 hours after their original scheduled arrival.