American Airlines flight diverted because it was too big for its destination

Passengers on an American Airlines flight from the United States to Italy were forced to take a bus to their final destination after their aircraft was forced to land 140 miles away because it was too big to land at the original destination.

American Airlines Flight 780 left Philadelphia International Airport at 7:42 p.m. local time on Monday and was supposed to land in Naples, Italy, at 10 a.m. local time, according to FlightAware.

However, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft was off the coast of Italy, about halfway between Rome and Naples, when it abruptly turned around over the Tyrrhenian Sea and turned back to the Italian capital.

American Airlines told CBS News that the aircraft was forced to divert to Rome Fiumicino Airport "due to operational limitations." 

Historical flight data shows that American Airlines usually flies a Boeing 787-8 to Naples, about 20 feet shorter than the 787-9.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from American Airlines JoanValls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images

After the flight landed in Rome, passengers were bused to Naples – a roughly 3-hour journey.

"We apologize to them for this disruption to their journey," American Airlines told CBS News in a statement.

Business Insider was the first to report the news.

• Rome
• Italy
• American Airlines
• Philadelphia