by WKRC
Thu, May 14, 2026 at 7:13 AM
Updated Thu, May 14, 2026 at 1:24 PM
FILE – A Boeing 737 operated by Delta Airlines takes off. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
ATLANTA (WKRC) – A Delta Air Lines flight turned around after spending eight hours over the Atlantic Ocean.
According to AirLive.net, Delta Air Lines flight DL54 was forced to turn around about midway across the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Saturday, May 9.
The flight was scheduled to land at an airport in Lagos, located in the African nation of Nigeria. In a statement obtained by AirLive.net, Delta confirmed that the flight was aborted halfway through the journey due to “operational issues.”
Data reviewed by the outlet reportedly shows that the aircraft took off from Atlanta at 5:42 p.m. EDT on Saturday, then headed for Lagos for around three and a half hours before the crew made the decision to turn around at 9:15 p.m. that same day.
Flight DL54 landed in Atlanta at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday after an approximate 7 hour and 48 minute flight to nowhere.
Delta did not elaborate further, but according to AirLive.net, the decision to return to the hub could indicate that the issue the crew encountered was best handled by staff at Delta’s primary maintenance base.
