ATHENS — A United Airlines flight en route from Tel Aviv to Newark made an unexpected diversion to Greece, landing safely at Athens International Airport just over two hours into its journey.
United Airlines Flight UA85, operated by a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner (registration N14011), departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 11:15 AM local time (08:15 UTC). The aircraft was scheduled for an 11-hour and 50-minute transatlantic crossing to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
According to flight tracking data, the widebody jet climbed to a cruising altitude of 32,000 feet as it tracked northwest over Antalya, Turkey. However, approximately 90 minutes into the flight, shortly after crossing into Greek airspace, the aircraft made a sharp turn and initiated a descent.
Air traffic controllers vectored the Boeing 787 toward Athens International Airport (ATH), where it touched down safely on Runway 3R at 1:24 PM local time (10:24 UTC), exactly 2 hours and 9 minutes after departure.
The reason for the mid-air turnback and unannounced diversion has not yet been officially confirmed by United Airlines or local aviation authorities.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.
