On February 24, 2025, Delta Air Lines Flight 876, a Boeing 717-200, departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport en route to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. Shortly after takeoff, passengers and crew observed a haze filling the cabin, prompting the flight crew to declare an emergency and return to Atlanta.
The aircraft landed safely around 9 a.m., and all 94 passengers, along with two pilots and three flight attendants, evacuated using emergency slides. Two passengers received medical attention on-site and were released.
Passenger Kevin McKinney captured video footage showing the hazy cabin and the subsequent evacuation. In the video, passengers are seen covering their faces as they exit the aircraft onto the tarmac. Delta Air Lines issued a statement emphasizing that the flight crew followed procedures upon noticing the haze and apologized for the incident, reaffirming their commitment to passenger safety.
In a statement, Delta claimed that: “The flight crew followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience.”
This event is the latest in a series of recent incidents involving Delta Air Lines. On February 22, a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was forced to return to LAX after smoke was detected in the galley. Additionally, on February 17, Delta Flight 4819 crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipping upside down upon landing. All 80 passengers and crew survived, though 21 individuals were hospitalized with injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated an investigation into the February 24 incident to determine the cause of the haze in the cabin. Delta has arranged ground transportation and rebooking for the affected passengers. The airline has also offered compensation to passengers involved in previous incidents and continues to cooperate with authorities to enhance safety measures.
