A transatlantic flight leaving London was cut short after a “burning smell” was noticed on board, causing an emergency landing in Edinburgh.
United Airlines flight UA949 left Heathrow airport just after 2pm on Thursday, 4 December, for a 10-hour flight to San Francisco.
After the Boeing 777 left London, it flew northward over the UK towards Iceland. Around an hour and a half into the flight, the plane made a U-turn back towards Scotland after issuing an emergency “squawk 7700” code.
Squawk 7700 is a universal transponder code that alerts air traffic control when a plane needs immediate assistance for a general emergency, allowing the airport to clear the runway and prepare emergency services for when the flight arrives.
The United flight made an unexpected landing at Edinburgh airport at around 4.30pm after crew detected a burning smell in the cabin.
The 162 passengers and 12 crew members landed safely in the Scottish capital and were provided with places to stay while United sourced another flight.
The airline said in a statement to The Herald, “United flight 949 safely landed in Edinburgh to address a burning smell. We provided customers with hotel accommodations and rebooked them on other flights to their destinations.”
It is unclear what the cause of the odour was. Data from FlightRadar shows the plane left Edinburgh for San Francisco on Saturday, 6 December, before it flew to Sydney and back over the weekend.
The plane also has scheduled return flights from San Francisco to Tokyo and Brisbane over the coming days.
The Independent has contacted United Airlines for further comment.
It is not uncommon for flights to make emergency landings due to strange smells. In mid-November, a US domestic flight was diverted to Houston after a report of smoke in the cabin and flight deck.
American Airlines flight 2118 departed Orlando, Florida on 23 November, bound for Phoenix, Arizona, but made an unexpected landing in the Texan city instead after the fumes were detected.
Four flight attendants and one passenger were rushed to the hospital as a precaution, the airline said, adding that first responders met the aircraft at the gate.
Read more: Five people rushed to hospital after plane forced to make an emergency landing because of foul odour
