Two separate Delta Air Lines flights were disputed on the same day as a result of fumes being detected in the cabins of the operating aircraft. One of the flights had already taken off and made a quick return to Los Angeles while the other was forced to divert to Dublin in Ireland as a result of the incident. No injuries were reported as a result of either occurrence, which both happened on February 22, 2025.
In the first incident, as reported by Aviation Herald, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 carrying registration N514DN was performing flight DL43 from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and heading to Sydney-Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD). The flight had 162 passengers and 15 crew onboard.
The aircraft departed Los Angeles at 21:04, taking off from runway 25R at the airport and heading out over the Pacific Ocean en route to Australia. However, the crew stopped the climb at 10,000ft (3,000m) after the cabin crew reported the detection of smoke in the aircraft’s rear galley. After a short delay to assess the situation, the flight crew elected to make an immediate return to Los Angeles.
The aircraft turned around and headed back eastwards, crossing the US coastline near Long Beach and making a downwind left-hand approach back into the airport. The aircraft touched down back on runway 25R at Los Angeles at 21:32, just 28 minutes after its original departure. After landing the crew advised they no longer had a live smoke condition on board, and that there had not been any smoke indication warning in the aircraft cockpit. However, the crew requested to be escorted to their gate by the airport fire services and that medical services be available at the gate in case of any cases of smoke inhalation among those onboard.
The subsequent flight to Sydney was canceled. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft concerned eventually operated flight DL395 from Los Angeles to Delta’s hub at Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport on February 23, 2025, and is due to operate DL93 to Los Angeles from the Georgia airport on February 24, 2025.
In the second incident on the same day, A Delta Airbus A330-300, registered as N819NW was performing flight DL135 from Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands to Detroit-Metro Airport in Michigan. Having departed Schiphol at 13:24 GMT, the aircraft crossed the North Sea and over the north of the UK reaching its initial cruising altitude of 35,000ft (10,500ft). However, at a position some 320 miles (512km) northwest of Dublin in Ireland, the flight crew decided to divert to Dublin Airport (DUB) reporting that there had been a strange odor on board that had made several flight attendants feel unwell.
The aircraft turned south, crossing the Northern Irish coast overhead Derry before routing down to Dublin and landing at the airport at 15:01 GMT, an hour and 37 minutes after leaving Amsterdam. The aircraft taxied to the gate where all passengers were disembarked. Some passengers later confirmed that there had been a smell on board which made some flight attendants feel unwell.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Dublin for around 25 hours before departing Dublin as flight DL9935 to Detroit. The aircraft has since operated a sector back to Amsterdam and a round trip from Amsterdam to Atlanta without further incident.
