Delta Air Lines plane forced to make emergency landing at JFK after passengers served 'spoiled' food

A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at New York 's JFK airport after passengers were served "contaminated food" mid-flight.

The aircraft, en route from Detroit to Amsterdam, had to be diverted when it became apparent that some of the meal service had gone bad, despite being distributed to passengers. Upon touchdown, medical personnel were on hand to attend to those affected by the tainted meals and treated 12 passengers, the Fire Department of New York said.

Crew members on the Delta flight contacted health professionals who recommended an immediate diversion to New York rather than risking the transatlantic journey. The plane carried 277 passengers, though the number who ate the spoiled food remains unclear.

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One vexed flyer named Virginia took to X to complain about the incident, writing: "@delta I need to know how you're going to get me to Amsterdam today - I'm on the plane that's emergency landing at JFK because you served passengers 'contaminated' food - I don't need hotel/food vouchers I need to arrive in Amsterdam today."

Delta flight 136 had departed Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport just before 11pm on Tuesday and eventually landed safely at JFK. It is now scheduled to depart JFK just after 3pm EDT and estimated to land more than 15 hours late in Amsterdam, according to FlightAware.

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Delta Airlines has expressed regret for the incident and the resulting "inconvenience and delay" to travelers' plans. They released a statement saying: "Delta flight 126 from Detroit to Amsterdam diverted to New York's JFK early Wednesday morning after it was discovered that a portion of the in-flight meal service was spoiled.

"Medical crews were on site to meet the aircraft and treat any affected passengers and crew members. Delta teams will immediately work to gather information into how this incident occurred. This is not the service Delta is known for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels."

The airline said further information will be available later in the day. The emergency landing comes amid a record-breaking Fourth of July travel season.

American's are dealing with chaotic scenes as hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled as more than 70million people are estimated to travel over the Independence Day holiday period. "With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day," Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said, according to a press release. "We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019."