Chicago, United States: A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Chicago declared an emergency after fumes were detected in the cabin, receiving priority handling from air traffic control before landing safely at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on September 8, 2026.
Delta Flight 1390 landed at around 4:15 p.m. local time after its flight crew declared the emergency to obtain priority handling and land as quickly as possible. The flight was carrying 125 passengers and five crew members, with all 130 people onboard deplaning normally at the gate following the safe landing.
“At Delta, the safety of our customers and crew comes before everything else. After fumes were detected in the cabin, our crew followed established procedures to land safely in Chicago,” the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A220. Delta said the aircraft was taken out of service and would undergo an evaluation by its maintenance teams. As of the latest available reports, the source of the fumes had not been identified.
The September 8 incident came a day after another Delta flight was diverted following a separate cabin fume or odor event. Delta Flight 1035, operating from Jacksonville, Florida, to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport on the night of September 7, 2026, after an odor was detected onboard.
According to reports, the flight had 108 customers and five crew members onboard. All passengers deplaned normally at the gate in Raleigh, and no injuries were reported.
“After odour was detected in the cabin, the crew of Delta Flight 1035 followed established procedures, and the flight was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where it landed safely,” Delta said.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize for the delay to our customers’ travel plans,” the airline added.
Delta said it worked to find alternative flights for passengers affected by the Raleigh diversion, while the cause of the odor remained under investigation.
The two incidents occurred within the same week, with Flight 1035 diverted on September 7 and Flight 1390 declaring an emergency on September 8. The airline operates approximately 5,000 flights daily and said smoke, fumes and odor events are rare but are treated seriously.
According to the report, Delta said its FAA-approved safety management system is designed to identify and address a range of safety issues, including smoke, fumes and odors, which can originate from different sources on an aircraft. The airline said it continues working to identify root causes and reduce such occurrences.
No injuries were reported in connection with either of the two latest incidents, while investigations and maintenance evaluations into the reported cabin fumes and odor were continuing.
