The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
United Airlines plane from Tel Aviv to New York diverted due to 'odour in cabin'
Flight UA168 has landed at Athens International Airport after looping around mid-flight and appearing to change its trajectory to the Greek airport
A United Airlines flight operating from Tel Aviv to Newark Liberty International Airport diverted to Athens International Airport due to an odour reported on board, according to Daily Star. The aircraft, carrying 230 passengers and 13 crew members at the time of diversion, landed safely in Athens and passengers were deplaned normally as arrangements were made to fly them to Newark aboard a different aircraft, Daily Star notes.
AOL.co.uk adds that the diversion occurred amid a wave of hoax bomb threats reported across European airports, with authorities not disclosing a specific reason for the diversion beyond the broader context of disruptive threats. The report specifies there is no information provided about injuries, aircraft details, the exact flight number, or the final destination after the diversion, according to AOL.co.uk.
The Mirror provides additional specifics, identifying the aircraft as United Airlines UA168 on the Tel Aviv–Newark route. The Mirror reports the diversion to Athens occurred early Monday local time after a mid-flight emergency was declared, with the aircraft allegedly changing trajectory to land at Athens International Airport. It notes that some outlets indicated an emergency code 7700, but no official cause for the diversion had been released, and no details about injuries, on-board events, or the precise reason for the emergency declaration were disclosed at the time, according to The Mirror.
EX-YU Aviation News is cited for broader United Airlines context but does not add new flight details for this incident beyond reporting on United’s wider corporate and alliance connections. The EX-YU Aviation News material accompanying the event mentions Star Alliance partnerships and includes reference to United’s CEO remarks about Croatia Airlines, but it does not provide additional verifyable facts about the Tel Aviv–Athens–Newark diversion itself.
Simple Flying collates the event within its coverage framework, confirming that UA168 was diverted to Athens early in the flight. It discusses the potential of an emergency declaration (with the United Airlines aircraft reportedly associated with the UA168 designation) and reiterates that no official cause had been released at the time. Simple Flying also references the broader pattern of European-wide threats and diversions around the period, but does not supply disclosed details about injuries or the final resolution of this specific flight.
The Daily Star’s report, echoed by AOL.co.uk and The Mirror, emphasizes that the diversion was prompted by an odor aboard the cabin, with authorities not releasing a cause and no documented injuries reported in the sources. While Daily Star specifies the number of people on board (230 passengers and 13 crew) and the safe landing at Athens, it does not provide further on-board events, the nature of the odour, or subsequent passenger transport arrangements beyond stating a different aircraft would transport them to Newark.
According to the reporting framework presented by The Mirror, some outlets suggested an emergency code 7700 might have been transmitted, indicating a request for priority handling from air traffic control. However, the sources do not confirm whether this code was officially issued or what exact actions followed the diversion, and there are no officially disclosed details about the cause of the odour or any flight crew actions beyond the diversion and landing in Athens.
In summary, the event centers on United Airlines UA168, traveling from Tel Aviv to Newark, diverting to Athens due to an odour report aboard the cabin. The aircraft landed safely at Athens International Airport with 230 passengers and 13 crew on board, and passengers were deplaned with arrangements underway for alternate transport to Newark. Across the cited outlets, there is no official statement confirming a cause for the diversion, no reported injuries, and no detailed information on the odour’s nature or the exact in-flight events beyond the diversion itself. The surrounding discussion references a broader European context of threats and emergency responses, but those elements do not establish additional facts about this specific flight beyond the diversion and safe landing.