United Airlines flight: Disruptive passenger and medical incident both cause chaos as plane diverts to Dublin

More than 200 passengers aboard a United Airlines transatlantic flight have spent the afternoon unexpectedly at Dublin airport – due to a passenger with a medical condition that caused concern, along with a disruptive passenger.

It is not known if the two were connected.

UA998 departed normally from Brussels, destination New York Newark, at 11.15am local time on Monday morning. The Boeing 787 flew normally over the Channel, southern England and the Irish Sea, beginning its planned oceanic journey over Ilfracombe in North Devon.

But 20 minutes later, while south of Cork, the aircraft diverted to Dublin, where it landed at 12.37pm local time.

The plane was directed to a remote stand away from other aircraft, while police and ambulance officers attended.

The airport posted on Twitter/X: “Flight UA998 from Brussels to New York’s Newark Airport diverted to Dublin Airport this afternoon due to reports of two separate incidents – a disruptive passenger and a suspected medical issue – on board.

“Appropriate protocols were put in place by Dublin Airport Operations and Airport Police for the arrival of the aircraft and Gardai, National Ambulance Service and HSE [Health Service Executive] personnel met the aircraft on arrival.”

The presence of HSE staff is believed to indicate that there was concern about a possible case of an infectious disease on board.

Both the medical case and the disruptive passenger were taken off the aircraft. Other passengers remained on the jet,U which was eventually cleared to depart. As of 5.5pm, however, the plane was still on the ground – raising concerns that the crew might run out of hours.

Assuming the aircraft makes the Atlantic crossing this evening, it will arrive at least five hours behind schedule.

Officials say the airport’s normal operations were unaffected.

The Independent has asked United Airlines for a statement.