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United Newark–Cape Town Flight Turns Back Mid-Atlantic for Medical Emergency

United says the jet returned so a passenger could receive care on the ground.

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The unique routes are possible because United inherited the fifth-freedom rights after acquiring the now-defunct Pan Am's Pacific routes in 1985.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: A United Airlines plane prepares to land at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on November 07, 2025 in San Francisco, California. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is reducing flights by 10 percent at 40 major airports nationwide, including SFO, beginning Friday amid air traffic control staffing shortages resulting from the federal government shutdown. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Overview

  • United Flight 1122, a Boeing 787-9 (N24988), departed Newark at 8:32 p.m. Sunday and reversed course about four hours into the crossing, according to FlightAware and Flightradar24.
  • The aircraft landed back at Newark around 5:03 a.m. Monday after more than eight hours in the air.
  • United reported that medical personnel met the flight on arrival and said the affected customer is receiving treatment.
  • The airline said 236 passengers and 14 crew were on board, customers were rebooked, and the service was rescheduled for Monday evening.
  • Independent tracking corroborated the mid-ocean U-turn, and separate reports this fall noted an unrelated October 16 incident in which a United 737 MAX struck a weather balloon over Utah.