A Delta Air Lines flight en route from New York City to Orlando was rerouted to Raleigh due to an unidentified odor in the cabin, according to airline representatives. Delta Flight 2090, which departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport on a Saturday afternoon, was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, due to the issue.
The airline issued a statement explaining that the flight was diverted and landed safely in Raleigh after an odor was detected in the cabin. The airline extended its apologies to the passengers for the inconvenience caused by the delay in their travel. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, had taken off from JFK at 11:41 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Orlando at 2:30 p.m.
The flight had 158 passengers on board. Following the incident, the airline arranged for the passengers to be transferred to a new plane later that evening or rebooked on earlier flights to their final destinations, according to an airline official.
Flight tracking service, Flight Aware, reported that the flight eventually landed in Orlando just before 9 p.m., after departing from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The cause of the mysterious odor that led to the diversion of the flight was not immediately known.
In a separate incident over the same weekend, a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York experienced technical difficulties. A passenger on United Airlines Flight 1382 shared footage of the wing catching fire during takeoff. The passengers and crew were evacuated from the plane at George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport due to a reported engine issue, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA stated that they are conducting an investigation into the incident. The airline reported that passengers were evacuated from the plane on the runway using a combination of slides and stairs and were then transported to the terminal by bus. There were no reported injuries, and all passengers were transferred to another plane to continue their journey. The FAA confirmed that they will be investigating the incident.