A Delta Air Lines flight from Barcelona to Atlanta on February 1 experienced an engine malfunction shortly after departure, forcing it to return to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN). The aircraft, a 20-year-old Airbus A330-300, has remained at the airport as of February 6. After an on-time departure, the engine trouble began as Delta flight DL195 reached 27,000 feet (8,230 meters) approximately 30 minutes into the flight.

Nearing cruising altitude, the pilots detected a performance problem in one engine and decided to return to Barcelona. The plane maintained speed and altitude, suggesting a relatively minor malfunction. Aviation authorities worldwide require aircraft in situations like this to turn back, even if the problem is not life-threatening.

The emergency return to BCN proceeded safely and successfully, landing approximately one hour after departure. The aircraft was grounded for further inspection as Delta mustered a Boeing 767-400ER out of Frankfurt, Germany, to ferry the stranded passengers to Atlanta a day later. That aircraft, 22 years old and initially scheduled to fly from Frankfurt to New York-JFK, made the flight to Atlanta without incident. 

The power plants on the twin-engine Airbus involved were Pratt & Whitney PW-4000 turbofans, each capable of producing as much as 70,000 pounds of thrust - more than enough for the plane to land on one engine. However, there is no report of a complete engine failure in this incident. This engine model has a stellar service record, having been designed specifically for the A330 series. Their high bypass ratio enables more efficient operation and greater thrust.

The aircraft is registered N803NW and is part of the widely successful Airbus A330 series of widebody, twin-engine jets. The type's initial design dates back to 1971 but has seen multiple major overhauls over the years. Aircraft N803NW was delivered in 2003 and had been active for months without concerns, including on past international routes.

Delta operates dozens of Airbus widebody aircraft of the same and similar type, with no evidence linking this problem to other aircraft in the fleet. Serious flight malfunctions are rare, while minor issues have occurred at several major airlines in recent months, forcing flights to return similarly.

This particular Airbus had flown from JFK in New York to Barcelona the previous day without incident and maintained a full schedule to that point. It is currently unknown when the aircraft will return to flight duty, while Delta's flights out of Barcelona have continued without interruption.