Delta Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in New York City Due to Contaminated Meals

A Delta Airlines flight bound for the Netherlands with 277 passengers onboard made an emergency landing in New York City after contaminated in-flight meals were served. Delta Flight 136 from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport was on its way to Amsterdam when it was forced to make an unscheduled stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport around 4 AM on Wednesday. The Airbus A330 was flying over Saint Pierre and Miquelon - a French archipelago south of Canada's Newfoundland when it was diverted to New York, according to data from FlightRadar24.

A spokesperson for Delta confirmed in a press release that the aircraft turned around after 'reports that a portion of the Main Cabin in-flight meal service was spoiled.' 'Medical crews met the aircraft to treat any affected passengers and crew members. Delta's Food Safety team has engaged our suppliers to immediately isolate the product and launch a thorough investigation into the incident,' the spokesperson continued, adding that the service is not what the airline is 'known for.' 'We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels.' Meanwhile, the Port Authority of New York told Newsweek that there were '24 aided cases upon landing.' Those cases included '10 members of the flight crew and 14 passengers.' However, all of them 'declined to receive medical attention.' The airport authority further said that the passengers were 'provided with hotel rooms and transportation and will be rebooked to continue to their destination.' An affected passenger named Virginia, who goes by @tralala_bk on X, formerly Twitter, wrote on the platform, '@delta I need to know how you're going to get me to Amsterdam today - I'm on the plane that's emergency landing at JFK because you served passengers 'contaminated' food - I don't need hotel/food vouchers I need to arrive in Amsterdam today.' An Amsterdam-bound Delta flight with nearly 300 people aboard had to divert to JFK Airport early Wednesday after 'it was discovered' that some of the in-flight meal service had been spoiled, the airline said. Flight crews on the Airbus A330 consulted with medical experts, who recommended the diversion to Queens. Flight Aware shows the flight turning around as it flew over eastern Canada. Delta flight 136 landed safely there at 4 a.m.

It's not clear how many passengers consumed the tainted food, nor were details on the spoilage known. Passengers say it was the chicken. Delta said medical crews were onsite to meet the aircraft and treat any affected passengers and crew. The Port Authority said 24 people --10 crew members, 14 passengers -- were evaluated upon landing. All refused a ride to the hospital, the agency said.

Passengers were provided hotel rooms and transportation. They're rebooked on a Wednesday evening flight to their destination, officials said. Delta apologized for the incident, saying in a statement, 'This is not the service Delta is known for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels.' The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the safe diversion, saying crew members had reported 'several sick passengers' prior to landing. The flight had originated in Detroit. A Delta Air Lines flight headed to Amsterdam from Detroit was cut short this morning after spoiled food -- including black mold -- was discovered in some of the in-flight meals.

The gruesome discovery -- which sickened around 70 of the 277 passengers on board -- prompted the pilot to make an emergency landing at New York's JFK Airport. According to one traveler who posted the experience on Facebook, passengers had a choice of chicken or pasta, and it seemed to be the fowl that went afoul. 'Delta's Food Safety team has engaged our suppliers to immediately isolate the product and launch a thorough investigation into the incident,' said Delta Corporate Communications Spokesperson Lisa Hanna. 'This is not the service Delta is known for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels.' This comes a week after another Delta flight, headed from Munich to Detroit, made an emergency landing in London after six flight attendants fell ill. The source of their illness wasn't made clear.

Fortunately, none of the passengers required treatment or hospitalization, and passengers were expected to board another plane and take off Wednesday evening -- hopefully, this time, with their own sack lunch.