Delta passengers evacuate using slides after engine issue
The 201 passengers were forced to evacuate onto the snowy tarmac at Atlanta airport using emergency slides after the Delta Air Lines jet abandoned takeoff in snowy weather.
Passengers have been left injured after hundreds of people were forced to abandon a flight using inflatable slides.
Those on board were forced to suddenly evacuate on Friday after a Delta Air Lines jet bound for Minneapolis aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The plane had experienced an engine problem, a Delta spokesperson said. The incident happened while a snowstorm was causing widespread cancellations and delays in Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport. Officials have not confirmed if the problem had anything to do with the freezing weather currently gripping parts of the US.
The 201 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants aboard evacuated the Boeing 757-300 using inflatable slides and were taken back to a concourse by bus. One of the four injured passengers was taken to a hospital, while three were treated at the airport for minor injuries.
Emergency Evacuation in @atlantaairport_ @Delta this morning! Ground stop! What happened? Why the secrecy? No media? @CBSNews @abcnews @CNN @FoxNews #Aviation #safety #Avgeeks #Passenger #travel@ pic.twitter.com/3pkYvRaZtY
— Karlene Petitt (@KarlenePetitt) January 10, 2025
Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant said the flight crew "followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff." He added: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible."
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident. All five of the runways at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport were closed for at least a time on Friday, and Delta said at midday on Friday that it had already cancelled about 500 flights at the airport. The airline said in a news release that snow "began earlier and with heavier intensity than forecast, which reduced de-icing capability and slowed operations." Delta said customers could rebook without paying additional costs, and warned that more flights may be cancelled or rescheduled.
Tens of thousands of flight delays and cancellations have been reported across the US over the past 24 hours due to the severe weather, with more expected to follow as a cold front moves to the south. On the ground, 245,000 customers have been left without power in multiple states, with the majority of reports coming from Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. Hundreds of schools have also been closed in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C, and an uptick in road accidents have been reported by several state police forces.
