Diverted Delta passengers spend the night in remote military barracks in Canada
By Marnie Hunter, CNN
(CNN) — Hundreds of airline passengers bound for Detroit spent Sunday night in a remote Canadian military barracks after their Delta Air Lines jet experienced mechanical issues, the airline said.
Delta Flight 135, carrying 270 customers, three pilots and seven flight attendants from Amsterdam to the US, made the unexpected overnight detour to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador “out of an abundance of caution,” Delta said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot of the Airbus 330 “reported problems with deicing equipment and diverted to Happy Valley-Goose Bay Airport in Canada around 3:15 p.m. local time.” The FAA said it will investigate.
“Crew duty times were impacted due to weather and runway conditions at the Goose Bay airport causing the airport to suspend operations,” Delta said, and the passengers stayed overnight Sunday in military barracks in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, a community of about 8,000 residents in Central Labrador. Goose Bay Airfield is home to military and civilian operations with two major runways.
The airline worked with local officials to provide food and accommodations for passengers, and Delta said it is providing compensation to affected customers but declined to offer specifics.
“Delta sent additional aircraft to Goose Bay to bring customers to their final destination Monday. We apologize to customers for this inconvenience,” the airline said.
CNN has reached out to Goose Bay Airport, which handles an average of 160,000 passengers a year, for additional information.
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