A Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Houston to Atlanta was forced to make an emergency landing early Wednesday after a passenger attempted to breach the cockpit. The flight, designated as Delta 2557, took off from Houston’s Hobby Airport but quickly encountered trouble when the pilot reported the situation to air traffic control.
In a recorded communication, the pilot relayed to air traffic controllers, “We had a passenger get up and try to access the cockpit,” while requesting immediate security assistance upon landing. On board the flight were 85 passengers and five crew members.
Upon landing back at Hobby Airport approximately 17 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft was met by police and paramedics, as the pilot indicated that the unruly passenger had also assaulted another individual on board. “(He is) in cuffs in the back of the aircraft, but he did assault another passenger, so we would like that other passenger checked out,” the pilot informed air traffic control.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported a notable rise in unruly passenger incidents, with 1,621 cases recorded in 2025 and 126 cases so far in 2026. Following the incident, Delta stated that the passenger “approached crew and customers but did not make contact with or attempt to access the flight deck,” emphasizing their commitment to passenger and crew safety.
The airline also expressed regret over the situation, stating, “The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior. We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”
After the emergency landing, the flight was able to resume its journey and arrived in Atlanta about 90 minutes later than scheduled. The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident, underlining the importance of maintaining safety aboard commercial flights.