The American Airlines flight AAL274 took off from Los Angeles International Airport was heading to JFK International Airport in New York when it was forced to turn around
An American Airlines flight has been forced to make an emergency landing after seven passengers were left ‘feeling sick’ from fumes inside the plane.
The plane took off from Los Angeles International Airport just before 5pm local time yesterday evening (1am BST), and was heading to JFK International Airport in New York. Several minutes into the flight, passengers began reporting a ‘strong smell of fumes’ inside the cabin, with the pilots also telling air control that they could smell and taste something. Seven passengers were evaluated by medical staff upon landing, though no-one was taken to hospital.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane, a twin-jet Airbus A32, doing a loop before it returned to LAX for the emergency landing.
Checks on the aircraft did not detect any dangerous substance, and the flight was scheduled to take off again a few hours later. An American Airlines spokesperson told the Mirror: “American Airlines flight 274 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) returned to LAX shortly after takeoff due to reports of an odour in the cabin. The flight landed safely and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologise for the inconvenience.”
All passengers continued to New York on a replacement aircraft, they added.
Last week, a Delta Airlines flight was forced to turn around and return to Heathrow Airport after smoke reportedly filled the cockpit while it flew over Cornwall. The plane, which was heading to Boston Logan International Airport in the US, made an emergency landing following reports of fumes from crew members.
The 10am flight DL-59, which was scheduled for an eight-hour flight, had to return just one hour and 35 minutes after take-off. The plane was off the west coast of Cornwall, soaring at 36,000ft, when smoke began to fill the cockpit due to a reported ‘unidentified mechanical issue’.
Emergency vehicles greeted the plane upon landing, and fire service personnel boarded the aircraft as the 250 passengers were shuttled back to the terminal, according to reports. A spokesperson for Delta Airlines said: “Delta flight 59 from London-Heathrow to Boston on October 5, 2025, landed safely after returning to LHR due to reports of smoke in the aircraft.”
“Delta’s customer team is assisting customers with accommodations and rebooking. We apologise to our customers for the delay, but safety for our customers and crew will always be Delta’s top priority.”
On September 25, an American Airlines flight AA106 from New York to London Heathrow was forced to return shortly after departure due to a serious medical emergency involving a passenger.