A Delta Airlines flight, originally bound for Barcelona from Atlanta, was forced to make an unexpected return due to a severe health incident involving a passenger. The flight, identified as DL194, had just passed over Virginia after taking off from Georgia when the decision to reroute was made.
The flight’s captain relayed the situation to Air Traffic Control through a text message, explaining the need to divert back to Atlanta due to a biohazard situation. The biohazard was caused by a passenger’s severe diarrhea, which had unfortunately spread throughout the aircraft. This information was also confirmed over the radio by one of the flight’s pilots.
The incident was understandably distressing for both the passengers and the crew. Several passengers took to social media to share their experiences. One passenger, identified as Dee W., described the situation as “pretty bad,” with the diarrhea spreading down the aisle and creating a horrible smell. Despite the crew’s efforts to mask the odor with a vanilla-scented disinfectant, the smell lingered.
Upon landing in Atlanta, the aircraft underwent an extensive cleaning operation that lasted five hours and included carpet removal. The passenger who fell ill was attended to by emergency medical technicians. Another passenger, John Hurdt, praised the ground crew, attendants, and pilots for their handling of the situation.
Despite the incident, the flight was not canceled. After landing in Atlanta at 10:40 pm, the aircraft resumed its journey to Spain at 3 am, more than five hours later. The flight eventually reached Barcelona at 5:10 pm, eight hours behind schedule.
Delta Airlines acknowledged the unexpected medical event but did not provide specific details. In a statement, the airline apologized to its customers for the delay and inconvenience and assured that their teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to clean the aircraft and get the passengers to their final destination.