‘This is a biohazard issue’: Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona is forced to turn back after passenger suffered horrific bout of diarrhea that pilot said affected ‘all the way through the plane’
‘This is a biological risk issue’: Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona must turn back after passenger suffered a horrific bout of diarrhea that pilot said took ‘all the way through the plane’
- Delta Airbus A350 had to return to Atlanta due to a passenger’s horror diarrhea
- The aircraft circled back to base and underwent a five-hour cleanup operation
A Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona was forced to turn around after a passenger on board developed diarrhea that “ran all the way through the plane.”
Flight DL194 had already departed Georgia and was over Virginia when the pilots decided to abandon the trip.
In a text message sent to air traffic control, the captain explained the problem succinctly: “Change to ATL – passenger diarrhea all over the plane – biohazardous.”
Air traffic control audio recordings also show that one of the pilots confirmed the situation over the radio.
‘It’s just a biohazard problem. We had a passenger who had diarrhea all through the plane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.”
A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Barcelona was forced to turn around after a passenger on board suffered from diarrhea that “ran all the way through the plane.” Pictured is an FAA hard shoulder on which the crew reported details
The plane and A350 en route to Barcelona returned to Atlanta and underwent a five-hour cleaning operation that required the removal of the carpet (file photo)
The situation was distressing for both passengers and crew. Some with knowledge of the situation posted on social media.
‘My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It seeped down the aisle and smelled awful.
“The vanilla-scented sanitizer used on it only made it smell like vanilla***. After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned. They didn’t leave until about 1:30 AM,” wrote Dee W.
The flight was met by emergency vehicles and EMTs carried the sick passenger off the plane.
“My partner said the plane was cleaner when they got back on at 2am than the first time they got on. No smell either.’
Another passenger aboard the Airbus A350 plane also praised the clean-up operation.
“Both my wife and I were on the run. It was a mess. The pilots made the right decision to turn around. The ground crew took out the carpet and replaced it.
“Given the circumstances, the ground crew did an excellent job, along with the escorts and the pilots,” wrote John Hurdt.
The plane had only been underway for an hour when it was forced to turn around
One passenger praised the crew and cleaning staff for the way they handled the situation
Some with knowledge of the situation posted on social media
Upon returning to Atlanta, the focus shifted to addressing the “biological hazard” problem through a deep clean of the aircraft.
Fortunately for the passengers, the flight was not canceled completely.
The plane landed in Atlanta at 10:40 p.m. and finally resumed its journey to Spain just over five hours later at 3 a.m.
After a flight of 8 hours and 13 minutes, the plane finally landed in Barcelona at 5.10 pm – eight hours later than planned.
While Delta acknowledged that there was even an unexpected medical condition during the flight, the airline remained tight-lipped about the details.
“Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the aircraft and get our customers to their final destination.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans,” the airline said in a statement.