Delta flight makes emergency landing, in Atlanta after 'haze' reported in plane

A Delta Air Lines flight returned to Atlanta on Monday morning shortly after takeoff when the crew detected "possible smoke" in the aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, only two days after another Delta flight was diverted due to smoke on board.

Flight 876 took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 8:30 a.m. and was en route to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina when the complaint was received, according to FlightAware.com. The jet only flew for around 35 minutes before landing in Atlanta at 9:04 a.m.

According to Delta, the flight claimed an emergency to receive "priority handling" from air traffic control. The Boeing 717 airplane carried 94 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants.

Delta Air Lines stated that the flight crew "followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure."

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience," the airline said in the statement.

According to the airline, an emergency has been declared and will receive priority processing from air traffic control.

Delta said its experts will assist passengers with rebooking flights to their final destinations.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported the event had a minimal impact on airport operations.

This is the second smoke-related incident to affect a Delta aircraft in a week.

Just two days earlier, a Delta aircraft destined for Australia returned to Los Angeles International Airport "after smoke was detected in the galley."