Food poisoning: Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam makes urgent landing in New York

A Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing in New York after dozens of people fell ill from eating spoiled food, including crew members. The flight was approaching the Atlantic Ocean shoreline in Newfoundland, Canada, when the Airbus A330 turned around and diverted to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.

A spokesperson for the New York Fire Department (FDNY) told NL Times that they were notified that multiple sick people on the aircraft while it was still in the air. Several news outlets indicated that 24 people were sick, including ten members of the flight crew. There were 277 passengers in total.

The flight was scheduled to pull back from the gate in Detroit at 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday and was in the air 30 minutes later. The plane turned back around 1:45 a.m., records show. It landed at Kennedy Airport just before 4 a.m., the FDNY spokesperson said.

"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," Delta wrote in a statement sent to media outlets. "Medical crews were on-site to meet the aircraft and treat any affected passengers and crew members."

Once on the ground, paramedics evaluated 12 people who were on the flight. They all refused further treatment, and were not transported to an area hospital, the FDNY said.

"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," Delta said.

Delta has not responded to a request to comment further on the matter.