A United Airlines flight rapidly descended from 37,000 feet to just below 9,000 feet in 8 minutes Thursday morning.
United Airlines Flight 510, en route to Rome, returned to Newark Liberty International Airport to address a potential cabin pressure problem, CNN reported. Flight data shows the plane descending at 10:07 p.m., but that’s standard procedure when pressurization concerns arise.
A United Airlines flight bound for Rome returned to New Jersey just after midnight Thursday “to address a possible loss of cabin pressure,” according to a statement from the airline. https://t.co/KzhjPvEt5Y
— US Transport News (@USTransportNews) September 15, 2023
The Boeing 777 flight, carrying 270 passengers and 14 crew members, returned safely. “The flight landed safely, and there was never any loss of cabin pressure,” a United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement, according to the Daily Mail. (RELATED: Airline Trolls Angry Customers With Instagram Post)
Passengers were placed on another aircraft to continue their trip.
United Airlines recently faced criticism over a systemwide technology issue that forced all flights to be grounded over Labor Day weekend. The ground stop lasted a little more than an hour and did not affect planes already in the air.
We are experiencing a systemwide technology issue and are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights that are already airborne are continuing to their destination as planned. We will share more information as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience as we…
— United Airlines (@united) September 5, 2023
Customers have been experiencing multiple delays since the pandemic, CNN reported. President Joe Biden announced Sept. 7 that he has nominated a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator, Michael G. Whitaker. Whitaker will take over if confirmed by the U.S. Senate.