A flight from Paris to Salt Lake City was forced to declare an emergency over Scotland before diverting 1,200 miles to Madrid.

Delta flight 221 departed the French capital on Tuesday around 10:55am local time on the 11-hour journey across the Atlantic to the capital of Utah. 

Around 1 hour and 40 minutes into the flight, the crew declared an emergency due to a mechanical issue shortly after the plane had passed over North Uist in the Outer Hebrides.

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The crew then requested a diversion to Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas Airport.

Flight tracking data on Flightradar24 showing the aircraft turning round off the west coast of Scotland before flying over the likes of Ardnamurchan, Inveraray and Paisley on its way to the Spanish capital.

The flight landed safely at Madrid Barajas around three hours later, where it was met by emergency services on the ground. 

The airline confirmed to The Herald that the reason for the decision to divert to Madrid was due to icing conditions at Dublin and London Heathrow airports and other nearby areas, with Madrid classed as “the nearest suitable alternative”.

A spokesperson for Delta said: “Delta Flight 221 Paris to Salt Lake City diverted to Madrid due to a mechanical issue. The flight landed without incident and was met by local maintenance personnel. We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience.”