(RepublicanView.org) – Over 200 Delta passengers were left stranded for nearly a full day in a remote region of Canada after their flight was forced to make an emergency landing on December 10.
The flight was carrying passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit when the instruments reported a mechanical failure when attempting to de-ice the engines. The pilots were forced to land in Goose Bay Airport in Newfoundland.
The small-town airport is owned by the Canadian Forces. It was the closest facility with a runway large enough due to the remote nature of the area. According to CBS News, Aditi Shankar said that all 270 passengers and the crew were stuck on the plane with very little food for 15 hours. She alleged that many lacked the proper clothing as temperatures fell dangerously low.
Delta initially tried to send another flight to rescue the passengers, but it timed out and couldn’t take off. By the time it arrived, passengers had already been waiting 7 hours. Some passengers had already boarded the rescue flight before learning that it would be stuck as well. Many operations were suspended due to weather conditions.
The airport was located in Goose Bay, a town so small that it lacked hotels. Passengers were forced to spend the night in military barracks after being stuck on the plane for hours. They were transported by Canadian customs in groups of up to 30 people. Tony Santoro, a passenger on the flight, told reporters that the barracks felt like a hotel and provided everything necessary for an overnight stay.
Another rescue flight arrived Monday and was able to evacuate passengers just in time to avoid a looming storm. They eventually arrived in Detroit after about a full day of being stranded. Some reports have said the passengers were stranded for 21 hours, while others put the time closer to 24.
Delta issued an apology to all of the customers affected and said that it would compensate them. No further details were provided. An FAA investigation is pending.
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