A 13-hour Delta Air Lines flight from China to Detroit diverted to Japan after a mechanical issue

• A Delta Air Lines flight from China to Detroit diverted to Japan.
• It touched down in Tokyo-Haneda about two hours after taking off.
• Local media reported that it had hydraulic issues.

A Delta Air Lines flight from China to the US had to divert to Japan due to mechanical issues.

Friday's Flight 388 took off from Shanghai at 5:46 p.m. and was supposed to land in Detroit some 13 hours later.

However, less than two hours into the journey, the Airbus A350 began descending off the coast of Japan as it changed course for Tokyo.

It touched down at Tokyo Haneda Airport around two hours after taking off.

An airline spokesperson told Business Insider the crew "followed procedures to divert to Tokyo-Haneda after reporting a mechanical issue."

Japanese officials told local media that the plane had suffered from hydraulic issues, which could impact key components like the landing gear.

"The aircraft landed safely, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel plans," the Delta spokesperson said. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and crew."

It's unclear how much of a delay passengers faced as they appeared to be rerouted via alternative flights.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that the A350, registered as N512DN, remained in Tokyo for another 26 hours.

It was repositioned to Seattle, one of Delta's hubs, before continuing on to Detroit.

On Saturday, the plane flew its first regularly scheduled commercial flight since the incident, heading to Seoul.

Flight 388 wasn't the only long-haul Delta flight that diverted last week.

An Airbus A330 flying from Paris to Minneapolis on Wednesday made a U-turn less than 20 minutes after taking off.