A Delta flight en route from Atlanta to Barcelona had to return on Friday due to a passenger experiencing a severe case of diarrhea that affected the entire plane, as reported by the New York Post. The incident occurred two hours into the eight-hour journey. According to data from Flightradar24, the plane made a U-turn.
In an audio recording from the flight deck shared on X, a pilot informed air traffic control, “This is a biohazard issue. We’ve had a passenger who’s had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.”
Although the passenger responsible for the incident remains unidentified, all passengers and crew were transferred to another flight. The plane underwent a thorough cleaning upon its return to Atlanta, allowing passengers to reboard for their trip to Barcelona. This delay resulted in the flight being eight hours later than originally scheduled, according to Flightradar24.
It’s still uncertain whether the passenger with the gastrointestinal issue was on board when the flight eventually landed in Spain.
Delta officials confirmed a “medical issue” on the flight, leading to the emergency landing and subsequent cleaning. However, specific details about the medical reason were not provided.
A spokesperson for Delta expressed apologies to customers for the travel disruptions caused by the delay, stating, “Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the airplane and get our customers to their final destination. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans.”
