Ghana Bans Delta 767 Over Maintenance Snags

It’s not often another country takes action against a major U.S. airline over maintenance issues, but the African country of Ghana has banned a Delta Boeing 767-300, just one, from its airspace. According to OneMileataTime, the 26-year-old widebody, N195DN, had an unusual spate of maintenance snags, most of them involving the daily service from New York to Accra, and when the Aug. 13 flight had to return to the gate in New York with a minor issue, and two-hour delay, the Ghanaians had had enough. “With immediate effect, Delta Air Lines is being advised not to dispatch the B767-332 with registration number N195DN for flights to Accra,” the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The trouble with N195ND started with the cancellation of the July 24 flight on a different 767, due to crew shortages. The cancellation made the news in Accra because passengers complained about Delta’s handling of the issue. The airline brought in N195ND the next day as a replacement but it had to turn around about two hours out because of a fuel imbalance. The plane was back in Ghana Aug. 1 and the flight to New York had to be cancelled for a mechanical issue. It stayed in Accra for three days before being ferried to Atlanta. The Aug. 13 delay sealed the old Boeing’s fate in the eyes of the Ghanaians, and presumably Delta dispatchers are making the necessary arrangements.