Plane Lands in LA After 9-Hour Wait on Tarmac

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Nearly 200 passengers on a Taca flight from El Salvador finally landed in Los Angeles Monday after spending about nine hours in a grounded airplane that had been diverted to a smaller regional airport due to heavy fog.

The Airbus A-321 aircraft couldn't land at Los Angeles International Airport late Sunday and was diverted to LA/Ontario International Airport some 45 miles to the east, Ontario spokeswoman Maria Tesoro-Fermin said.

The 193 passengers were forced to remain on the aircraft because local authorities did not give permission for them to go through customs and enter the country, El Salvador-based Taca said in a printed release.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately have any additional details about the situation.

The flight from San Salvador to Los Angeles usually takes 4 1/2 hours, Taca spokeswoman Alexandra Arias Cader said.

A new crew took over in Ontario because previous personnel had exceeded maximum flight hours, Tesoro-Fermin said.

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