A Delta Air Lines transatlantic flight en route from Nigeria to the United States was forced to divert to Ghana on Tuesday, prompting a brief disruption to one of the few nonstop routes connecting West Africa to North America.
Flight DL55, operated by an Airbus A330-200, departed Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 11:02 UTC but diverted just over an hour into the journey, landing safely at Kotoka International Airport in Accra at 12:12 UTC. The aircraft had entered Ghanaian airspace and circled near the city of Kumasi before descending into Accra, according to flight tracking data.
The widebody jet, registered N857NW and more than two decades old, is regularly deployed on Delta’s daily Lagos–Atlanta service. The route is among a limited number offering nonstop transatlantic service between West Africa and the United States.
Delta has not publicly disclosed the reason for the diversion. All passengers and crew disembarked safely and no injuries were reported, a person familiar with the situation said.
The airline did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The flight was airborne for approximately 70 minutes before the unscheduled landing. Operational disruptions of this nature can have knock-on effects for long-haul network scheduling and crew rotations, particularly on routes operating from regions with limited airline competition and infrastructure.
Delta, one of the largest U.S. carriers serving Africa, has maintained continuous service to Lagos for nearly two decades.
