After engine trouble, Delta flight 316 from Salt Lake to Honolulu returns safely to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — A flight from Salt Lake City to Honolulu is back on the ground in Utah after it suffered what Delta called an engine performance issue shortly after takeoff.

Delta flight 316 took off at 11:56 a.m. and was heading to Hawaii. There were 216 passengers on board, along with two pilots and seven flight attendants.

According to a statement from Delta, an emergency was declared with air traffic controllers, allowing the situation to receive priority handling.

The Salt Lake City Fire Department was placed on alert. In their communications, they referred to the incident as “engine failure.”

The pilots circled to the west of Salt Lake City International Airport to help reduce the weight of the airplane.

“The aircraft landed safely and proceeded to an arrival gate under its own power,” Delta spokesperson Samantha Moore Facteau said. The flight was back on the ground at 1:31 p.m. 

In a statement, Delta Airlines apologized to customers aboard flight 316.

“As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, the flight crew addressed a performance issue with one of the aircraft’s two engines and returned back to Salt Lake City,” the statement read. “We apologize to our customers for the experience and the delay in their travels.”

This story may be updated.