United UA168 from tel Aviv to Newark declared an emergency and diverted to Athens

A United Airlines flight bound for Newark was forced to make an emergency landing in Greece early Monday morning following an in-flight technical issue over the Mediterranean.

ATHENS — United Airlines Flight UA168, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (registration N24993), departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 12:45 a.m. IST on Monday, November 9, 2026. The flight was scheduled for a 12-hour, 5-minute transatlantic journey to Newark Liberty International Airport.

Approximately 90 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 32,000 feet, the flight crew detected an unspecified technical problem. The pilots promptly declared an emergency, broadcasting a squawk code 7700 to air traffic control, and requested an immediate diversion.

Air traffic controllers routed the Dreamliner toward Athens International Airport. The aircraft entered a brief holding pattern to dump altitude before being vectored toward the airport for arrival.

Just two hours after taking off from Tel Aviv, the Boeing 787 landed safely on Runway 3R at Athens International Airport. Emergency response vehicles and fire trucks met the aircraft on the runway as a standard precautionary measure before the plane taxied under its own power to a remote stand.

United Airlines confirmed that the aircraft has been grounded in Athens and is currently undergoing a full maintenance inspection to determine the root cause of the issue.

The flight has officially been canceled, and ground crew are working to rebook passengers on alternative flights to their final destination.

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