Delta passengers ordered off plane after diverting to Chile

By Joel Provano

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires was diverted to Santiago, Chile, where passengers were ordered off the plane by authorities  who mistakenly believed there was a security problem.

Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin told the AJC that the captain of Flight 101, which departed Atlanta at 8:50 p.m. Thursday, decided to divert to Santiago due to volcanic ash from the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in southern Chile, which has hampered flights all over South America in recent weeks.

"Upon landing, the aircraft was met by Chilean Airport Police, who asked the aircraft to taxi to a remote location," Laughlin said. "We understand that airport officials thought there was a security issue on board." When the airplane was brought to the gate, she said, "Chilean Customs officials met the passengers. The passengers were delayed by Customs officials for another 1.5 hours at the gate before being transported to a hotel."

Laughlin said she could not confirm a report that passengers were taken off the Boeing 767 at gunpoint.

"The passengers were asked to deplane," Laughlin said, but said she could not characterize the level of force used by Chilean authorities.

After a three-hour delay, the misunderstanding was resolved, Laughlin said. But because of the delay,  the flight crew had exceeded its maximum flight time and had to take a mandatory rest period before resuming the flight, which landed safely in Buenos Aires around 4 a.m. Saturday, some 20 hours after the scheduled arrival.

"We are working with Chilean airport officials to understand the miscommunication," she said. "We apologize for the delay and inconvenience to our customers on board this flight."

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