The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
United Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to New York diverted ‘after declaring emergency’
The diversion comes after chaos across European airports being hit with hoax bomb threats - the reason for the diversion has not yet been disclosed
A United Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Newark Liberty International Airport was diverted to Athens early Monday local time, after reportedly declaring a general emergency mid-flight. The aircraft, identified as UA168, is understood to have landed at Athens International Airport following an apparent mid-flight change in trajectory.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner transmitted emergency code 7700, a signal used to request priority assistance from air traffic control. The diversion occurred amid a broader context of recent hoax threats targeting European airports, though no official cause for this particular diversion has been released.
Details regarding any injuries, specific events on board, or the precise reason for the emergency declaration have not been disclosed. Authorities have not yet issued a formal statement clarifying why the flight diverted or what prompted the emergency signal, if indeed it was transmitted.
The incident follows a wave of reported threats across Europe in the past week, including bomb threat advisories and military escort movements for various aircraft. United Airlines has been contacted for further information, with no official update issued at the time of this report.