Delta flight DL127 is a flight that the Atlanta-based carrier operates daily from Madrid, Spain, to New York-JFK. This route is usually non-eventful and takes upwards of seven hours. However, on July 6, 2025, the Airbus A330 operating the route experienced a mechanical issue and diverted to Terceira, a Portuguese island in the Azores. The passengers ended up spending 29 hours on the ground, as reported by NBC News, not returning to New York until the following evening.
Diversions are a routine part of flying, and airlines have protocols on how to accommodate passengers, as well as how to recover the stranded aircraft. In this case, however, the remote location of the diversion airport has led to complications. The aircraft is still in Terceira, while the passengers were on the ground for over a day before returning home. Let’s see what happened.
DL127’s Diversion To The Azores
Delta DL127 is a daily flight from 
Madrid Barajas Airport to 
New York JFK Airport. The aircraft in question was an Airbus A330-300 registered as N805NW, equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW4000s. The aircraft departed Madrid at 13:01, and data from Flightradar24 indicates that the aircraft cruised at 38,000 ft. It’s been reported that there were 282 passengers and 13 crew members onboard, for a total of 295 occupants.
The Aviation Herald reports that the A330 began experiencing engine issues over the Atlantic Ocean. The report indicates that the pilots experienced a shudder and the aircraft began to yaw to the right. ECAM data shows that it was the number one engine that experienced issues. The flight crew shut down the engine, descended to 20,000 ft to run checklists, and diverted to Terceira an hour and a half later.
The aircraft landed safely at around 16:00. Passengers were deplaned while Delta began to prepare to accommodate its customers. As the company was unable to get its customers back to New York until the following day, everyone was provided meals and placed in overnight hotels on the island.
What Happened After The Landing
N805NW diverted to Lajes Airport in Terceira. This is the closest European airport to the eastern United States, and it has the longest runway in the Azores. As such, it’s seen some notable diversions, including, most famously, Air Transat 236. However, scheduled air service is limited compared to major European cities, leaving few options to recover the stranded passengers.
Azores Airlines flies nonstop flights to New York-JFK, however, these only operate on Saturdays. Combined with that fact that only six carriers operate to this airport, there’s extremely limited options for rebooking passengers. Therefore, Delta needed to dispatch another aircraft to the island while its passengers and crew stayed overnight.
|
Aircraft |
Ship No. |
Aircraft type |
Engines |
Age |
Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3305 |
Airbus A330-323 |
2x Pratt & Whitney PW4168A |
21.8 years |
282 seats |
|
|
3322 |
Airbus A330-302 |
2x General Electric CF6-80 |
10.2 years |
282 seats |
(Data from Planespotters.net)
The biggest challenge here is that the current summer season means that there are very few aircraft available as spares. Eventually, Delta dispacthed N822NW, another A330-300. This plane landed at Lajes Airport at 02:09, and departed slightly past 21:00. The flight took five hours and 10 minutes as per Flightradar24 data, arriving at 22:22 local time.
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Looking At The Next Steps
The passengers were stranded for close to 29 hours. Delta provided meals and hotels to both passengers as well as crews. The customers will also likely receive compensation for this delay. Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the engine issues. It’s also been reported that the number one engine will be fully replaced.
Given that Lajes Airport is relatively remote with no Delta facilities, the plane will likely have to be ferried back to the United States. However, this has not been confirmed, and the aircraft has yet to leave the airport. It typically takes less than a day to replace a jet engine on an airliner, so expect N805NW to be back in service soon once the replacement is complete.
While a sudden shuddering and unexpected yaw to the left appears alarming to most passengers, flight crews are trained to respond to these scenarios safely. Engine issues, while rare, can still occur, so the investigation will reveal what caused the problem, and a service bulletin or airworthiness directive will be published if needed.
