Porto, Portugal, Sept. 30 – Delta Air Lines flight DL251 from Barcelona to Boston turned around over the Atlantic and diverted to Porto after smoke in the cabin of an Airbus A330. The eleven-year-old aircraft N824NW left Barcelona-El Prat after 3:00 PM on September 27, 2026, climbed to 33,000 feet over Spain, then cruised at 32,000 feet with 283 passengers and 13 crew bound for Boston Logan.
Two hours into the flight, westbound over the Atlantic, the crew declared an emergency with squawk 7700 and requested diversion due to smoke in the cabin. Controllers sent the Airbus A330 to Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto, the nearest suitable field, aborting the transatlantic crossing to Boston.
Three hours after departure, Delta flight DL251 landed safely on Porto Runway 35. Emergency teams met the jet. Officials said twelve people received oxygen airborne, several were treated on the tarmac, and four went to hospital after the emergency landing due to cabin smoke.
Delta rescheduled the Boston continuation for the next afternoon at 1:00 PM and canceled connecting flights DL276 and DL277 after the aircraft and crew were displaced. Passengers were rebooked or housed while the airline examined the mechanical issue that caused smoke in the cabin on flight DL251.