Still not turning your mobile phone to Airplane mode during air travel? A United Airlines flight was forced to divert back mid-flight to the US airport it had departed from on Saturday (US time) due to a potential security threat involving Bluetooth devices.
Pilots on board the Spain-bound Boeing 767 aircraft had no choice but to land back at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, USA, around 9:30 pm Saturday, merely hours after taking off for Palma de Mallorca, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Given the circumstances, 190 passengers experienced significant delays on their way to Spain. 12 crew members were also on board.
What forced the Boeing aircraft’s diversion to New Jersey?
The United Airlines plane encountered an in-flight issue after departing for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, around 6 pm. Security personnel also had to board the plane to inspect a Bluetooth device at the centre of the controversy. According to air traffic control audio, someone named their Bluetooth device a “certain four-letter word,” which remained visible despite crew members advising passengers otherwise.
As reported by The Associated Press, a passenger even shared some details on social media, saying that cabin crew repeatedly told passengers to turn off all Bluetooth devices. However, two still remained on.
Meanwhile, sources told The New York Post that security was brought in during the flight to look into a suspicious Bluetooth device, visible as “bomb,” aligning with the “certain four-letter-word” mention in air traffic control audio.
The New York Post reported further that the purported “bomb” Bluetooth device was named for a 16-year-old passenger’s Fitbit.
Despite the source-based information reported by the New York news outlet, specifics about the cause of the incident have yet to be disclosed officially.
When did the United Airlines flight reach Spain?
After Transport Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials in the United States rescreened all passengers, they were allowed to board a replacement flight with a new crew.
The new flight departed from Newark early Sunday morning and landed in Spain’s Palma in the afternoon.
As quoted by The Post, a United spokesperson said on Sunday, “United flight 236 from Newark to Palma De Mallorca, Spain safely returned to Newark to address a potential security concern.” “The flight continued on to Palma De Mallorca with a new crew.”
The latest development surrounding United Airlines comes days after an unruly passenger aboard United 1551 allegedly tried to open one of the aircraft’s doors at 36,000 feet and assaulted another flyer after the plane took off from Newark Liberty International Airport. FlightAware data showed that at the time, the Guatemala City-bound plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Washington Dulles.