Delta Air Lines reactivates A321neo after cabin smoke incident led to emergency return

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A321neo is back in operation after being grounded due to smoke detected in its cabin. The aircraft, registration N535DN, resumed flights after being thoroughly assessed by maintenance teams. The incident occurred on March 21, 2025, during a flight from Boston to San Juan, leading to an emergency return to Boston soon after departure.

Delta Air Lines stated, "The flight crew followed procedures to return to Boston when a haze inside the aircraft was observed shortly after departure. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience."

Passengers affected by this incident were transferred to an alternate A321-200N for their journey to San Juan. The aircraft implicated in the smoke incident remained grounded for around 60 hours before it returned to service on March 23, initially operating between Boston and Atlanta. Its re-entry has since involved several flights to destinations such as Seattle, Miami, and Los Angeles, without any further issues reported.