Delta Air Lines is facing renewed attention after one of its international flights to Nigeria spent nearly eight hours in the air before returning to the exact airport it departed from. The airline confirmed that Flight DL54, traveling from Atlanta to Lagos on Saturday evening, May 9, was forced to turn around mid-flight over the Atlantic Ocean due to what it described as an “operational issue.” According to flight tracking data , the Airbus A330-200 departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 5:42 p.m. EDT and followed its normal eastbound route for several hours before abruptly reversing course. The aircraft reportedly reached cruising altitude and was already deep into the Atlantic crossing when the crew initiated the return to Georgia around 9:15 p.m. The plane ultimately landed safely back in Atlanta shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.…