Smoke fills Delta airplane mid-air leaving three hospitalized as the pilots try an emergency descent

The Airbus A330 operating Delta flight DL251 departed Barcelona at 3:15 PM on Sunday, bound for Boston. However, the jet never made it across the Atlantic, as smoke apparently began filling the cabin partway through the trip. Delta flight DL251 was forced to make an emergency landing in Porto, Portugal, according to People. Delta said the plane diverted to Porto as the crew reported a mechanical issue, and it landed safely at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport. 

Medical personnel quickly treated eight passengers on the tarmac after the landing. A spokesperson for Portugal’s emergency and civil protection authority said three other people had to be transported to a hospital for further treatment, adding that smoke in the cabin caused the forced landing. However, Delta has not publicly identified the source of the smoke.

This is not the first time a similar situation occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight. On Thursday, Alaska Airlines Flight 803 was heading from Los Angeles to Honolulu when passengers reported an unknown odor inside the cabin. Hawaiian Airlines operated the flight, and several crew members began feeling ill before the Airbus A330 reached Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

The cause of the incident is still unknown

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services officials reportedly waited at Terminal 1 when the flight arrived around 12:30 PM. The seven Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants were evaluated at the scene after reporting symptoms such as headaches and nausea. However, all eight reportedly declined transport to an emergency room, and Alaska Airlines reported none of the 252 passengers required medical attention. The source of the odor has not been publicly identified. 

The aircraft was allegedly inspected before it returned to service. Alaska Airlines thus thanked the medical professionals who met the plane and said safety remains its priority. The Delta crew had less time to weigh its options, as the problem involved visible smoke rather than an unexplained smell. Smoke can point to an electrical fault or overheating equipment, and crews are trained to land at the nearest suitable airport rather than press on.

In-flight scares have rattled travelers before, including a plane struck by lightning between Buffalo and Fort Lauderdale that left one passenger texting her parents that she loved them. That flight reached its destination without a diversion. Delta has not said when the A330 will fly again, and passengers from Delta flight DL251 are expected to be rebooked to Boston while engineers in Porto work to trace the cause of the smoke.