COLUMBIA, S.C. — What was supposed to be a simple diversion due to weather turned into a 17-hour event for international passengers at Columbia Metropolitan Airport Sunday
According to officials with the airport, a Delta Airlines international flight originating in Tokyo, Japan flying to Atlanta, Georgia was diverted to Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) on June 26 due to weather conditions in Atlanta.
Once on the ground in Columbia, a series of unfortunate events began to unfurl, causing what was supposed to be a quick layover to turn into a 17-hour hold for approximately 300 passengers.
First, the airport says because of a ramp improvement project, the plane needed to be parked remotely on the tarmac and passengers bused over to the airport terminal.
Second, CAE is not an international gateway and therefore does not have Customs agents to process international passengers. The airport says for safety reasons, those on the Tokyo-to-Atlanta flight had to be restricted to a section of the airport where they could not intermingle with other passengers flying in and out of CAE.
"Safety for the passengers is always our most important concern," said Samantha Kingsmore, a spokesperson for Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Airport personnel said they ordered dinner, pizza, donuts and water for passengers during their stay.
After being parked, the plane was discovered to have maintenance issues that needed immediate repair. Crews working on the plane overnight and initially believed they had completed repairs early Monday morning and passengers were loaded back on the plane for the flight to Atlanta.
Upon closer inspection, maintenance crews notified Delta that the plane would not be taking off and passengers were once again off-loaded to CAE.
Two planes were requested by the airline to fly into CAE and take on the passengers and fly them to Atlanta. By Monday afternoon, passengers were enroute to Atlanta and beyond.