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Delta aircraft with 61 passengers goes off taxiway at Syracuse airport

Ellen Abbott
/
WRVO Public Media

The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority said an aircraft with 61 passengers went off a taxiway at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport Tuesday morning.

Delta Airbus A220-100 operating as flight number DAL1718 left a taxiway shortly after 7:30 a.m. According to Delta's flight schedules, the plane was headed to LaGuardia Airport.

The incident happened north of the main runway.

A Delta plane slid off the taxiway Tuesday morning at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Syracuse Hancock International Airport
A Delta plane went off the taxiway Tuesday morning at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

"During a departure taxi-out this morning, the nose gear of a Delta aircraft exited the paved surface of a taxiway," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. "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."

The airport communications team said there were 61 passengers on board the aircraft. Operations to return the passengers and their luggage to the terminal began around 8:15 a.m. and were completed about 45 minutes later. Passengers were deplaned via the air stairs.

"We will rebook customers to their final destinations as needed," Delta said. "We apologize to them for the delay in their travel plans."

The flight and cabin crews also exited the aircraft and returned to the terminal. The airport said a Delta Air Lines aircraft recovery team is en route to Syracuse and is expected to arrive Tuesday evening.

They have not said what caused the incident.

The airport remains open and operational. Some flights are canceled or delayed due to the winter weather.

This is a developing story.

Ava Pukatch joined the WRVO news team in September 2022. She previously reported for WCHL in Chapel Hill, NC and earned a degree in Journalism and Media from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, Ava was a Stembler Scholar and a reporter and producer for the award-winning UNC Hussman broadcast Carolina Connection. In her free time, Ava enjoys theatre, coffee and cheering on Tar Heel sports. Find her on Twitter @apukatch.