- A Delta Air Lines flight returned to Boston after a strange smell raised concerns.
- The Airbus A330 was en route to Paris when flight attendants started feeling ill.
- Several crew members, including the pilots, were checked out at hospital after landing.
A Delta Air Lines flight turned around and seven crew members were taken to hospital after concerns about an odor on board.
The Airbus A330 was flying from Boston to Paris last Wednesday but U-turned less than an hour after departure while over the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, according to FlightAware data.
A report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, in whose airspace the issue was reported, says that the captain noted discomfort in his eyes while taxiing before takeoff. The first officer also detected a slight odor, it added.
After the plane took off, the flight attendants told the captain that an odor had been detected in the cabin, per the TSB report. However, it added, the relief first officer tasked to investigate this didn't notice anything.
According to the TSB, several minutes into the flight, numerous flight attendants became ill, and passengers complained about the smell.
The pilots then carried out the fume checklist and returned to Boston.
Upon landing, the captain, first officer, and five flight attendants were taken to hospital, the TSB report said. They were all released after being evaluated.
It isn't clear what caused the odor or what the odor was.
Maintenance personnel replaced recirculation filters and the plane returned to service two days later.
"As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, the flight crew of Delta flight 224 on August 7 followed procedures to return to Boston after an odor was detected on board," an airline spokesperson said.
"The aircraft landed without incident and proceeded to the gate normally," the statement added. "We apologize to our customers for the disruption and delay to their travel plans; we're working to get them to their final destinations as quickly as possible."
This isn't the first time in recent weeks that a plane turned around due to a strange smell in the cabin.
Last month, a British Airways Airbus A380 made an emergency landing after an "overpowering scent" of laundry detergent filled the plane, making people feel sick and dizzy.