Delta flight ‘exited’ one of the taxiways at Syracuse Hancock International Airport
By Michelle Watson, CNN
A Delta flight “exited” one of the taxiways at Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York just after 7:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to a news release from Syracuse Regional Airport Authority. Taxiways are the paths that airplanes take to the runway.
“This incident has not impacted airport operations — the airport remains open and operational at this time,” the release said. “A coordinated response began around 8:15 am to bring the 61 passengers and their luggage back to the terminal building. This operation is ongoing as of this statement.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident involving Delta Air Lines Flight 1718, operated on an Airbus A220. The plane was bound for LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York.
In a statement Delta said that “the nose gear of a Delta aircraft exited the paved surface of a taxiway. This was not an airplane skidding off a runway. There are no reported injuries. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.”
“Customers have been safely deplaned from the aircraft via air stairs and back to the terminal,” the statement said. “We will rebook customers to their final destinations as needed; we apologize to them for the delay in their travel plans.”
Syracuse, New York, is under a winter storm warning with snow that “could be heavy at times” according to the National Weather Service forecast for the area (NWS).
Delta Air Lines has issued a Northeast weather waiver for travel on Tuesday and Wednesday. American, United, Southwest, JetBlue and Spirit have also issued waivers that allow passengers to reschedule at no cost for a limited time.
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CNN’s Ross Levitt contributed to this report.
