NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Engine problems forced a Delta flight bound for John F. Kennedy Airport to land on a remote island in the North Atlantic Ocean this week, officials said.
Delta Flight 127 was heading from Madrid to Queens on Sunday—with 282 customers and 13 crew members in tow—when there was “indication of a mechanical issue with an engine,” Delta said in a statement Thursday.
“As safety comes before all else at Delta, the flight crew followed procedures to divert to Lajes, Azores,” the airline said.
“The flight landed safely, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels,” the statement continued.
Upon landing at Lajes Airport on the Portuguese island of Terceira, customers were accommodated overnight in area hotels, provided meals and offered compensation. They were then put on a new flight that landed in New York on Monday night.
The aircraft, an Airbus A330, remained at the airport, where Delta maintenance technicians were said to be working on it.