Delta flight makes emergency stopover on Alaska island

(Update: Passengers arrive in Seattle)

SEATTLE (AP) – Passengers who were aboard a Delta Air Lines flight that made an emergency landing on a remote Alaskan island have arrived safely at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Delta spokesman Drake Castaneda said in an email Tuesday that the customers took off on an alternative aircraft from Shemya and arrived in Seattle at about 10 p.m. Monday Pacific time.

The original flight from Beijing to Seattle carrying 194 passengers was diverted to a military base on the island in Alaska’s Aleutians chain due to a potential engine issue.

Delta sent another aircraft with maintenance technicians, airport customer service agents and a new crew to operate the flight to Seattle to pick up the stranded passengers.

Castaneda did not respond to questions Tuesday seeking details about the engine problems.

Citing a statement by Delta, the Anchorage Daily News reports the flight from Beijing to Seattle with 194 passengers landed Monday at a military base on Shemya Island because of a potential engine issue.

Shemya is near the western end of the Aleutians. It has a 10,000-foot runway at Eareckson Air Station, which serves as an Air Force refueling hub and an emergency landing site for civilian aircraft.

Shemya is 1,450 miles from Anchorage.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman couldn’t be reached because of the partial federal government shutdown.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com