United Airlines was forced to turn back a flight to Sydney only two hours into its nearly 14-hour trip to San Francisco, marking the fifth incident for the carrier in the past seven days. The Boeing 777-300 plane, with 183 passengers and crew on board, was rerouted due to a "maintenance issue," as per United Airlines' statement.
“The plane landed safely, and passengers deplaned normally at the gate. We provided accommodation overnight for passengers and rebooked them to San Francisco,” the airline further stated.
Monday's incident on United flight 830 is the most recent in a series of incidents affecting the US airline in recent days.
During the past week, one flight experienced an engine fire midair after ingesting bubble wrap, while another flight encountered a tire loss shortly after takeoff on Thursday.
Friday saw a United Airlines plane veer off a runway and into a grassy area, while another incident involved a flight from San Francisco to Mexico City being rerouted to Los Angeles due to a problem with the plane's hydraulic system, according to the airline.
Meanwhile, Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer, is facing heightened scrutiny due to a succession of quality and safety concerns.
