Passengers and crew members fall ill on Detroit-Amsterdam flight forcing diversion to New York JFK

On July 2nd, a Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was forced to make an unforeseen landing at JFK Airport in New York after at least twelve passengers became severely ill. The incident occurred after nearly three hours of flying, over Canadian airspace, prompting the aircraft to turn back.

Flight tracker Flightradar24 show that the plane, an Airbus A330 (registered N816NW) carrying 277 passengers, landed at JFK Airport about an hour after the decision was made.

Emergency medical personnel from the New York Fire Department (FDNY) attended to the affected passengers. Initial reports suggest that the illness may have been caused by contaminated food on board.

Delta Air Lines confirmed in a statement that “a portion of the food on the flight was spoiled.” The airline emphasised that this incident does not reflect the standards of service Delta is known for, according to ABC 7 News. Authorities in New York reported that a total of 24 people fell ill, including ten crew members.

The FDNY confirmed that twelve passengers were checked by ambulance personnel but did not require further hospital treatment.