High winds cause Northwest Airlines 747 to be diverted to Toledo Express

A Northwest Airlines flight from Tokyo to Detroit took a side trip to Toledo Express Airport Thursday afternoon when flight delays caused by high winds prompted the plane to divert for refueling.

The Northwest 747 landed in Toledo about 1:30 p.m. and resumed its trip to Detroit Metropolitan-Wayne County Airport about two hours later. The plane had 218 passengers plus crew.

Scott Roberts, a Metro spokesman, said the Detroit airport used its east-west "crosswind" runways exclusively Thursday for several hours because of a strong westerly wind that made using the main runways dangerous. That reduced takeoff and landing capacity at the airport, causing a backlog of flights.

Leslie Parker, a Northwest spokesman, said the Tokyo flight was diverted to Toledo as a safety precaution. Two other Detroit-bound flights, one from Minneapolis-St. Paul and one from Madison, Wis., were diverted to Grand Rapids, Mich., for refueling, she said.