A Delta Air Lines plane got halfway across the Atlantic Ocean before turning back, subjecting passengers to an eight-hour trip to nowhere. The Airbus A330-200 left Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday evening and climbed to a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet. The 21-year-old jet continued east for about three and a half hours, but as it was approaching the midpoint of the transatlantic crossing, the crew decided to turn the aircraft around. Delta Air Lines said in a statement that the flight returned because of an “operational issue.” It did not elaborate on what caused the problem, or explain why it was best handled at its primary maintenance base at the Atlanta hub as opposed to diverting the flight to another airport. The plane landed safely back in Atlanta at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The flight was then canceled and the Airbus remained on the ground for inspection.
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