United Airlines Flight Turns Around Due to Security Threat

A United Airlines flight headed to Spain from Newark Liberty International Airport returned mid-flight on Saturday because of a potential security threat.

The flight took off at approximately 6 p.m. en route to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but landed back at Newark at 9:37 p.m., as reported by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A total of 190 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the Boeing 767.

According to air traffic control audio, security officials inspected the aircraft after a passenger named their Bluetooth device with an inappropriate term. Social media posts from passengers indicated that the crew asked everyone to turn off all Bluetooth devices, but two devices were not turned off. The decision to turn the flight around followed communication with the airline’s headquarters in Chicago.

Passengers had to evacuate as Port Authority police conducted a sweep of the aircraft. Travelers were rescreened by TSA and Customs and Border Patrol before reboarding. The airline did not give specific details about the incident’s cause. A replacement flight with a new crew departed early Sunday morning, reaching Palma later that afternoon.

This event was the most recent in a series of incidents involving United Airlines flights this month. On the preceding Friday, a domestic flight was diverted due to a security issue involving an unruly passenger. Earlier this month, another United flight experienced a collision with a semitrailer truck and a light pole while landing at Newark airport, though no injuries were reported.