Delta plane headed to Hawaii returns to SLC mid-flight due to engine trouble

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Delta Air Lines flight heading to Hawaii returned to Salt Lake City after reportedly experiencing an issue with its engine.

According to a statement from Delta, flight 316 was on its way to Honolulu on Feb. 27 when the flight crew followed procedures to return to Salt Lake City when an “engine performance issue was observed.”

The flight had 216 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The flight took off at 11:56 a.m. and returned to Salt Lake City at 1:31 p.m.

An emergency had been declared with Air Traffic Control to receive priority handling. The plane landed safely and proceeded to an arrival gate.

Delta said that teams at SLC will examine the aircraft and attend to customers, including working on a continuation flight or rebooking customers on flights for their final destinations.

“As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, the flight crew addressed a performance issue with one of the aircraft’s two engines and returned back to Salt Lake City. We apologize to our customers for the experience and the delay in their travels,” a Delta spokesperson said.