A PASSENGER plane headed from Scotland to the US was forced to land in Iceland after declaring a mid-air emergency.
The Delta flight DAL 35 was flying from Edinburgh to Atlanta, Georgia when a potential mechanical fault was detected.
The airline said it had taken the decision to head to Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s largest, due to an “abundance of caution”.
It squawked a code 7700, which planes use to indicate any kind of emergency to air control, off the west coast of Ireland, reports say.
The Boeing 767-300 plane was reported to be carrying 217 passengers and six crew members, all of whom landed safely.
Delta apologised for the delay, which compounded a two-hour wait which passengers had also faced after take-off from Edinburgh was pushed back.
A spokesperson for Delta airline said: “While enroute from Edinburgh to Atlanta, Delta flight 35 diverted to Keflavik Airport following the indication of a possible mechanical issue onboard.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the crew elected to divert and landed uneventfully.
"We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels.”
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