282 airplane passengers stranded overnight on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

The Madrid-to-New York flight was forced to land on the small island

Nearly 300 travellers had to spend the night on the island, officials told NBC News yesterday (July 10).

The aircraft was flying from Madrid to New York on July 6 when it was diverted to the civil parish Lajes on the Portuguese island Azores after the pilots received warning "of a mechanical issue with an engine," Delta told the outlet.

After the passengers were safely deplaned at the Lajes aiport (TER), the travellers were lodged for the night on the island, where they were reportedly "accommodated overnight in area hotels and provided meals."

On Monday, the passengers were able to board a new aircraft and leave the island in Portugal's Azores archipelago.

Delta's statement continued: "The flight landed safely, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels."

The flight landed at JFK at 10:36 p.m. ET, touching down in New York more than 31 1/2 hours after Flight 127 was supposed to have landed just before 3 pm on Sunday.