WPBN: According to the airline, passengers of Delta Air Lines were forced to evacuate onto the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Friday morning owing to an engine malfunction that occurred during a winter storm.
According to the officials, there were 201 people on board Flight 2668. These passengers were removed from the aircraft by the use of emergency slides and transported back to the terminal through ground transportation.
Despite the fact that the airline did not provide any additional information regarding the engine problem, a winter storm has been affecting the Atlanta metropolitan area with snow and ice on Friday.
Residents were cautioned by the National Weather Service to remain inside their homes if they did not have any reason to be out on the roadways.
Based on the information provided by FlightAware.com, Flight 2668 was scheduled to depart for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport at approximately seven in the morning.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, takeoff was halted at approximately nine in the morning. They have stated that they would make an investigation into the engine problem.
Delta has stated that its flight crew, which consisted of two pilots and five flight attendants, “followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff” of the Boeing 757-300 aircraft.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” Delta stated. “We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible.”
There is nothing quite like the sound of heavy sleet in Georgia at 6 AM!!! Travel conditions will be dangerous in the Atlanta Metro this morning. If you can avoid traveling, please do so! Stay safe everyone! #gawx pic.twitter.com/NN3o2qdlYJ
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) January 10, 2025
According to a statement sent by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, four passengers reported experiencing minor injuries. Only one was taken to a hospital for treatment, while three others were treated at the scene of the accident.
“Operations at ATL are delayed due to the incident and the ongoing severe weather,” the airport stated on X. “The aircraft and the runway are expected to be cleared shortly.”
As a storm delivers snow and ice to the South, 98 million people across the region are under winter weather alerts on Friday. The storm is expected to last for many days.
It is anticipated that the metropolitan region of Atlanta would receive around one to two inches of snow and between ten and twenty-five centimeters of ice, all of which have the potential to cause power outages and significantly disrupt travel.
At approximately ten o’clock in the evening, it is anticipated that the mixture of snow and ice will cease.
As of the afternoon of Friday, FlightAware.com reports that more than 2,600 aircraft that were scheduled to depart from, enter, or transit within the United States have been canceled, and more than 2,500 planes have been delayed.
With approximately 900 flights being canceled and more than 430 flights being delayed, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is currently in the lead.
According to PowerOutage.us, as of Friday afternoon, more than 4,000 utility customers in the state of Georgia were without power.
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