Emergency landing in Chile: Delta Airlines flight suffers engine failure en route to Santiago

Published at: 31/03/2026 10:57 AM

A Delta Airlines commercial flight, which covered the route between Atlanta and Santiago de Chile, made an emergency landing this Tuesday at Antofagasta's Andrés Sabella Airport after reporting a technical failure in one of its engines.

Faced with the contingency in mid-flight, the crew immediately activated the established safety protocols, ensuring that the 246 passengers on board were unharmed after the descent in northern Chile.

This incident represents the second operational mishap for the airline in a 24-hour period. Last Monday, March 29, another aircraft that was on the São Paulo-Atlanta route failed in its left engine just moments after takeoff.

This situation forced the captain to return to the airport of origin for a preventive landing, which ended without reporting injuries to passengers or crew.

After both events, the company has initiated the corresponding technical reviews to determine the exact causes of these mechanical failures. While the itineraries of travelers affected by the detour in Antofagasta are normalized, aeronautical authorities are monitoring fleet maintenance procedures to ensure safety on their international journeys to the Southern Cone and North America.

Mazo News Team