Delta Air Lines Flight 2204 was forced to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and evacuate its passengers via emergency slides on Saturday morning following reports of fumes in the aircraft's flight deck. The flight had departed Atlanta at 7:23 a.m. and returned to the airport just 36 minutes later.
Upon landing, the Boeing 757 was met by first responders on a taxiway. A Delta spokesperson confirmed that 199 passengers and six crew members evacuated the aircraft using the emergency slides. Passengers were then transported back to the terminal by bus and boarded a replacement flight to Orlando.
"The flight crew followed procedures to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after reports of fumes in the flight deck," the spokesperson stated. "A slide evacuation occurred on a taxiway. Safety is paramount at Delta, and we apologize to our customers for their experience."
Passengers described a chaotic scene. Jordan Conlin, a passenger traveling with his family, recounted that the pilot announced over the intercom that the cockpit had filled with fumes and that both pilots needed to don oxygen masks. Although a slight smell of jet fuel exhaust was present in the cabin, Conlin noted that the landing was smooth.
"Getting off the plane felt amazing because it was just such chaos," Conlin told Fox 5. "You've got people screaming and yelling and panicking.. You never think it's going to be you, and all of a sudden what should have been a normal flight becomes very, very scary."
The aircraft was subsequently inspected by maintenance crews. The airline indicated that the cause of the malfunction remains unclear. The Federal Aviation Administration was also contacted for comment regarding the incident.