A United Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Chicago was forced to return to the airport on Monday after declaring an emergency shortly after takeoff.
The Boeing 767, operating as flight UA929, departed Heathrow at 9:02am but turned back near Cardiff just 20 minutes into the journey. The aircraft landed safely at 9:52am, according to flight tracking data.
Passenger Jonathan Vasdekas reported a smell of smoke in the cabin, tweeting: “Hey @united, we just landed back at Heathrow because of the smell of smoke in the cabin... Props to the captain and crew for getting us back on the ground safely.” United Airlines confirmed a “technical issue” and apologised for the inconvenience.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Our team is providing assistance to customers of United flight 929... which returned to London Heathrow to address a mechanical issue and was subsequently cancelled. The aircraft landed safely and customers deplaned normally. We have made arrangements for customers to complete their journeys as soon as possible.”
The cause of the technical problem has not been disclosed, but the airline stated that safety remains the priority. Passengers were provided with meal vouchers and rebooked on later flights.
