Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 Diverts To Oklahoma City

On Friday, April 7th, Delta Air Lines flight DL537 was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Oklahoma. The flight was traveling from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) when three flight attendants became unwell, and the pilots decided to divert due to “out of an abundance of caution due to an onboard medical issue.” A passenger Emmy Kelly told Fox News:

As reported by Fox News, the head flight attendant was one of the few that started to have trouble breathing, and they were using an oxygen mask at one point. In addition to the three flight attendants who felt unwell, nine passengers also reported feeling dizzy.

Met by Ambulance

The flight touched down at Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) at 17:52 local time, where the flight was met by ambulance and transported to the hospital on arrival. At the time of this publication, their current status is unknown.

The flight, operated by Delta’s Boeing 757-200, registration N667DN, a 32-year-old matriarch in the fleet, was packed to the brim for the Eater weekend flight, carrying 197 passengers. The expected schedule was:

• DL537 was scheduled to depart from Los Angles International Airport (LAX) at 13:00 and arrive at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 20:10 the same day.

Instead, the flight operated the unexpected, but necessary diversion, following the below schedule according to Flightradar24:

• DL537 departed from Los Angles International Airport (LAX) at 13:24, landing at Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) at 17:52
• DL537 was able to continue from Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC), resuming flight the following day, April 7th, at 12:11, arriving at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 14:48

A night in Oklahoma City for passengers

With several crew out of action due to unexplained illness and sent to a local hospital, the stranded passengers were deplaned and forced to spend the night in Oklahoma City in a hotel. At the same time, in the meantime, maintenance cleared the flight to depart again on Good Friday, April 7th.

Delta has not released further details about what may have caused the illness. However, the Federal Aviation Administration said it would be investigating the situation.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

N667DN

The 32-year-old Boeing 757-200 joined the Delta Air Lines fleet in March 1991, which frequently operates transcontinental flights for the airline. After its unexpected visit to Oklahoma City, according to Flightradar24, the aircraft only operated its flight from OKC to ATL on Good Friday, presumably for further inspection at the Delta base in Atlanta overnight. The aircraft is scheduled to return to normal operations on Saturday, April 8th, scheduled for takeoff at 13:24 as DL350 to Boston.

Sources: Flightradar24, Fox News,

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  Delta is not keen on an equal split compromise either. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

  Delta Air Lines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  DL/DAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Boston Logan International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1929

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Ed Bastian

  Country:

  United States

• 

  Los Angeles International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  LAX/KLAX

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Justin Erbacci

  Passenger Count :

  48,007,284 (2021)

  Runways :

  6L/24R – 2,721m (8,926 ft) |6R/24L – 3,318m (10,885 ft) |7L/25R – 3,939m (12,923 ft) |7R/25L – 3,382m (11,095 ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal 1 |Terminal 2 |Terminal 3 |Tom Bradley International Terminal | Terminal 4 |Terminal 5 |Terminal 6 |Terminal 7 |Terminal 8

• 

  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  ATL/KATL

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Balram Bheodari

  Passenger Count :

  75,704,760 (2021)

  Runways :

  8L/26R – 2743m (9,000 ft) |8R/26L – 3048m (9,999 ft) |9L/27R – 3776m (12,390 ft) |9R/27L – 2743 m (12,390 ft) |10/28 – 2743 m (9,000 ft)

  Terminals:

  Main Terminal | Domestic Terminal