United Airlines flight to Spain diverted after Bluetooth device threat alert

New York City (ANTARA) - A United Airlines flight bound for Spain from Newark Liberty International Airport was diverted on Saturday (30/5) after a passenger’s Bluetooth device with a threatening name triggered a security alert, local media reported on Sunday (31/5).

Flight tracking data shows the Boeing 767 took off around 18:00 local time (05:00 WIB on Sunday) for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but was subsequently diverted back to Newark, landing at 20:50 local time (07:50 WIB on Sunday) after nearly three hours in the air.

A passenger posted on social media that cabin crew repeatedly asked passengers to turn off all Bluetooth-enabled devices, but two remained active. Security officers then inspected the aircraft after discovering a Bluetooth device with a four-letter threatening name. Aviation news outlet AirLive identified the word as ‘BOMB’.

The flight returned to Newark after the crew consulted with the airline’s operations centre in Chicago. There were 190 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

Passengers were evacuated with only their passports and mobile phones, then underwent re-screening by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before boarding a replacement flight operated by a new crew.

United Airlines declined to provide details about the incident. This is the latest in a series of security-related incidents involving United Airlines this month. On Friday (29/5), a domestic United Airlines flight was diverted to another airport due to a security issue involving an unruly passenger. Earlier in May, a passenger’s Wi-Fi hotspot name prompted a pilot to warn the cabin that the responsible person had 30 seconds to change it or face FBI checks upon landing.