A Delta Air Lines flight from Paris to Minneapolis was forced to turn back less than 20 minutes after takeoff on Wednesday.
Delta Flight 153, operating from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, took off around 10:53 a.m. local time before leveling off over northern France and beginning a wide U-turn, Flightradar24 data shows.
The plane, an Airbus A330, never climbed above 9,500 feet and spent less than an hour airborne before landing back in Paris at about 11:47 a.m.
A Delta spokesperson told Business Insider the flight, carrying 177 passengers, turned back “due to an indication of a mechanical issue,” which the airline said was related to the aircraft’s flaps — the movable panels on a plane’s wings that are used during takeoff and landing to generate lift at low speeds.
Because the aircraft was still heavily loaded with fuel for a transatlantic crossing, the crew declared an emergency due to excessive fuel weight, Delta said.
The move allows aircraft to receive priority handling on approach and landing when returning shortly after takeoff.
Passengers are being reaccommodated on later flights departing CDG throughout Wednesday afternoon, the airline said, adding: “We apologize to our customers for their delay in travel.”
The aircraft is now undergoing evaluation and maintenance in Paris.
This is not the first time an aircraft has been forced to return to its departure airport due to flap-related issues.
In June, a British Airways Boeing 787 bound for Chennai turned back to London shortly after takeoff after pilots reported a suspected flap problem.
The aircraft entered a series of holding patterns to dump fuel before landing safely at Heathrow. A British Airways spokesperson at the time said the return was a “standard precaution.”
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post A Delta flight from Paris to Minneapolis U-turned after less than 20 minutes in the air appeared first on Business Insider.
