Delta Airlines Flight Diverts to Portugal Due to Cabin Smoke, Four Hospitalized

A Delta Airlines flight bound for Boston was forced to make an emergency landing in Porto, Portugal, after smoke filled the cabin, resulting in four individuals being hospitalized. The Airbus A330 departed from Barcelona, Spain, at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday but diverted to Porto approximately two and a half hours into its eight-and-a-half-hour journey, according to FlightAware. A mechanical issue was reported, but a Portuguese official indicated that smoke in the cabin necessitated the emergency landing. According to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias, three passengers and one crew member were taken to a local hospital. A hospital spokesperson stated that two male passengers were admitted to the emergency department due to smoke inhalation, both exhibiting mild respiratory symptoms and in stable condition. The aircraft, carrying 296 people, had flown over the northern Spanish regions of La Rioja and Galicia and was heading toward the Atlantic Ocean when it diverted about 500 miles off the Portuguese coastline, having reached a maximum altitude of approximately 32,000 feet. Reports indicated that twelve individuals required oxygen during the flight, while eight were treated on the tarmac at Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport. Passengers were not placed on an alternative Delta flight that evening. Additionally, a Boston-bound flight scheduled to depart from Porto at 1 p.m. on Monday was canceled, as noted by FlightAware. Delta is set to operate a Boston-bound flight from Barcelona at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. The incident follows a previous occurrence in August when a Delta flight bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was forced to make an emergency landing in Atlanta due to reports of smoke onboard shortly after takeoff.