United Airlines Flight Returns to Newark Due to Security Concern

A United Airlines flight scheduled to travel from Newark Liberty International Airport to Palma de Mallorca in Spain returned on Saturday due to a possible security threat. The aircraft, a Boeing 767, left Newark at approximately 6 p.m. and touched back down at 9:37 p.m., as stated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The flight had 190 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

An issue emerged when a Bluetooth device was reportedly renamed to a ‘certain four-letter word.’ According to air traffic control communication, this led to security inspecting the aircraft. Crew members instructed passengers several times to switch off all Bluetooth devices, but two devices remained active. The decision to turn the flight around was made after consulting with the airline’s central office in Chicago.

Once the aircraft returned, passengers evacuated to allow Port Authority police to conduct a sweep. Subsequently, passengers underwent rescreening by TSA and Customs and Border Patrol before reboarding. United Airlines did not specify the exact cause of the incident. Passengers embarked on a new flight with a replacement crew, which departed early Sunday morning and reached Palma that afternoon.

This security event follows a recent pattern of incidents involving United Airlines. On the preceding Friday, another flight had to be diverted due to an unruly passenger. Earlier this month, a separate United flight encountered a collision with a semitrailer truck and a light pole upon landing at Newark, though it resulted in no injuries.