A Delta Air Lines flight en route to China had to take a 2,000-mile detour and land in Los Angeles after one of its pilots became unwell, consequently extending the passengers’ journey by eight hours.

Delta Air Lines Flight 389 took off from Detroit around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, due in Shanghai 16 hours later.

But the Airbus A350-900 was thrown completely off course when a pilot got sick.

Five hours into the flight, the plane was positioned just south of Alaska when the crew decided to redirect to Delta’s Los Angeles hub — requiring a three-hour flight to the south and west.

Though not the nearest airport, Los Angeles serves as a primary station on the West Coast, simplifying the task of finding a substitute for the ailing pilot, the airline explained.

The flight remained stationed at LAX for more than three hours before a replacement was brought on to continue the trip to China, according to FlightAware tracking data.

After the delays, Flight 389 set off at 7 p.m. for a 13-hour trip to Shanghai.

Including the time on the ground, fliers spent more than 24 hours on a journey that usually lasts about 16.

“The flight landed without incident and taxied to the gate,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Delta did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for additional comment.

Although it’s a rare occurrence in general, there have been plenty of headlines made after a plane is forced to divert or make an emergency landing after a pilot falls sick in the cockpit.

Last year, a Southwest Airlines captain fell sick during a flight from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio, forcing a passenger who just so happened to be a pilot to step up and assist the copilot.

In 2022, a passenger with no flying experience was able to land a small plane in Florida after his pilot suffered a medical emergency.