Delta Air Lines passengers on a transatlantic flight were forced to spend the night in military barracks in a remote Canadian province after the aircraft encountered a mechanical issue.
Flight DL 135 was en route from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) on December 10, 2023, when the aircraft ran into an issue with the de-icing equipment on one of its engines.
The flight was then forced to make an emergency diversion in Goose Bay, Newfoundland, over 2,600 kilometers from Detroit.
Passengers on the flight took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share the experience, with one describing it as the “wildest emergency landing”.
The aircraft landed safely at Goose Bay Airport (YYR) at around 15:00 local time.
Goose Bay Airport was established during the Second World War to serve as a landing and refueling stop for transatlantic flights. 24,000 Canadian and American aircraft passed through Goose Bay during the War, making it the busiest airport in the world in that period.
All 270 passengers from Flight DL 135, plus its three pilots and seven flight attendants, spent the night in an army barracks in Goose Bay.
One passenger, Tory Santoro from Michigan, told Fox News that the barracks “felt like a hotel”.
“They put us in some military barracks,” Santoro said. “It honestly felt like a hotel. It wasn’t too bad. We had soap, water, everything.”
Delta subsequently said that it had worked with officials on the ground to provide food and water for passengers, who will also be compensated for the inconvenience.
The airline sent another flight to pick up the passengers. However, that flight was not scheduled to depart Goose Bay until the afternoon of the following day.