A Delta Air Lines flight from Madrid to New York turned into an unexpected island detour when one of its engines malfunctioned mid-flight, forcing the aircraft to land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Delta Flight 127, an Airbus A330 carrying 282 passengers and 13 crew members, departed Madrid on Sunday en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport. But somewhere over the vast ocean, the flight crew received an alert about a mechanical issue involving one of the plane’s engines. Within minutes, the decision was made: divert immediately to the nearest safe landing zone — Lajes Air Base in the Azores, a remote Portuguese archipelago.

"The flight landed safely, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels,” Delta said in a statement.

While the emergency landing itself went smoothly, what followed tested the endurance of everyone on board. Passengers found themselves stranded on Terceira Island for more than 31 hours, with limited accommodations and no direct route off the island.

A replacement aircraft flew in from mainland Europe, which finally picked up the passengers and crew on Monday. According to airline representatives, all passengers were rebooked and provided with food, hotel accommodations, and compensation.

Delta has not disclosed the exact cause of the engine problem but confirmed it is under investigation.