The plane, which was heading from Dallas to Madrid, was diverted to JFK Airport in New York at around 10.30pm.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the emergency landing was due to a bathroom overflowing.
American Airlines, however, pinned the disruption on a “maintenance issue.”
“On Aug. 7, American Airlines flight 36 with service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Madrid (MAD) diverted to New York (JFK) due to a maintenance issue,” the airline said in a statement.
“The aircraft landed normally and is scheduled to re-depart [Thursday] evening on a new aircraft.
“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience.”
Once the plane safely landed, American Airlines is said to have paid for passengers affected to stay in hotels.
The customers were then put on a flight to their destination the following day.
The FAA is still investigating the issue.