Delta Air Lines flight DL55 from Lagos to Atlanta was forced to divert to Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, after spending just over an hour in the air.
The Airbus A330-223, registered N857NW, departed Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 11:02 UTC, slightly behind schedule.
Instead of continuing its transatlantic journey to Atlanta, the aircraft turned north-west into Ghanaian airspace, circled near Kumasi, and landed safely at Kotoka International Airport in Accra at approximately 12:12 UTC.
Flight tracking data indicated the aircraft was airborne for about 70 minutes before the diversion.
The jet, which is over 20 years old, is normally used on Delta’s daily DL54/55 service connecting Lagos and Atlanta, one of the few nonstop links between West Africa and the United States.
Delta Air Lines has not yet issued an official statement on the diversion. All passengers and crew disembarked safely upon arrival in Accra, and no injuries were reported.