A United Airlines flight destined for New Jersey, United States, on Thursday (US time) was forced to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas, Nevada, instead after reports of engine trouble.
What happened to the United Airlines flight?
Having departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on August 27, United Airlines Flight 1403 was ultimately diverted to Harry Reid International Airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United Airlines, the plane landed safely at the airport in Las Vegas around 7 am local time after facing issues with one of its engines, The New York Post reported.
176 passengers and seven crew members were on board; they ultimately deboarded Flight 1403 to continue their journey to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in a different aircraft, a United Airlines spokesperson told The New York Post.
It has yet to be confirmed what type of engine troubles prompted the United flight to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas instead. The FAA will investigate the development.
United Airlines passenger shares ‘terrifying’ account
Thomas P Smith, one of the 176 passengers on board the affected flight, took to his social media profile on X and shared a photo from inside the plane as it made the emergency landing in Nevada.
“Engine failure at 31,000 feet!” He wrote alongside the photo on X, “Emergency landing at Las Vegas airport.”
In a follow-up post, he later opened up about being “stranded” in Cleveland, with the next flight to Newark not being available until 1 pm Saturday.
United Flight 1403 LA to NY… engine failure at 31,000 feet! Emergency landing at Las Vegas Airport. Terrifying! pic.twitter.com/F5qVpc4LQe— Thomas P. Smith (@Yankeetommy) August 27, 2026
The incident comes days after another United Airlines flight from Venice to New Jersey had to make an emergency landing in London after encountering a technical issue mid-flight.
In other news, the wheels of a cargo plane erupted in flames on the runway while landing at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week. The incident triggered the temporary closure of one LAX runway as crews worked to remove the jet, possibly leading to some delays, an airport spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.
Other United Airlines developments
On Friday, air traffic tracking website FlightAware reported that United Airlines cancelled more than 200 flights in less than 48 hours. These included the 59 flights the airline had cancelled by 12 pm on Friday and 158 cancellations from the previous day. The major flight cancellations included a significant number of weather-related disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms in Newark after 2 pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, the major US airline headquartered in Chicago is en route to adding 10 new destinations next year, paving the way for the largest international expansion in the company’s nearly 100-year history.
United Airlines announced Tuesday that it will begin nonstop flights to Okinawa, Japan; Toulouse, France; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Marseille, France; Ibiza, Spain; Valencia, Spain; Terceira, Portugal; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Olbia, Sardinia; and Catania, Sicily. Operations tied to the new schedules are expected to begin next spring, with the Japan flight launching on March 27 and the last such launch of the Portugal flight taking place on June 9.
Moreover, the airline launched its new international aircraft, the ‘Born to Explore’ A321XLR, at a Newark event on Tuesday.
“We offer the most flights across the Atlantic and Pacific and Newark is the best Atlantic gateway in the country – so far this year, it’s the most on-time airport in the New York City area,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement. “We’re going to keep building on that momentum as we welcome the new A321XLR to our fleet and continue to elevate the travel experience for every customer who chooses United.”
Addressing the current situation regarding fuel prices amid the ongoing Iran war, the company’s CEO expressed his “pleasant surprise” about the amount of jet fuel that has still managed to be transported to international markets after passing through the Persian Gulf.
“I think we’re also in a gradual world where we’re going to continue to get more oil from other sources in other ways out of the Gulf,” Kirby told CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box.’ “And so, who knows for sure? But, my base case would be that it’ll sort of gradually decline — it stays higher than it was — but that it will gradually decline into 2027.”