A United Airlines flight was forced to take a diversion while it was in the air because of a ‘biohazard’ issue.
The flight was bound for Boston from Houston at 9.39am but was diverted to Washington Dulles on Sunday at 1.36pm because a passenger was sick.
In audio shared on X a pilot on board said to air traffic control: ‘Especially with this kind of being a biohazard, I think we need to get this plane on the ground ASAP.
‘The crew is vomiting and passengers all around are asking for masks, etc.
‘I talked to the crew and it sounds like it’s quite bad back there.
The airline told Metro.co.uk: ‘United flight UA2477 (Houston – Boston), diverted to Washington-Dulles after a customer experienced a medical issue.
‘The aircraft is currently undergoing a deep clean and we are working to get customers on their way to Boston soon.’
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The flight then continued its journey to Boston at 5.17pm.
None of the passengers on the aircraft which included 6 crew members and 155 passengers needed medical assistance when they landed in Washington.
This incident comes almost two months after passengers were removed from a United Airlines flight because of ‘cases of suspected infectious diseases’.
It was flying off the south coast of Ireland when it was diverted to Dublin Airport over two separate incidents on board.
The first involved a suspected medical incident, while the other was a disruptive passenger aboard the flight from Brussels to New York’s Newark Airport.
As a result of the disruption, numerous police cars and at least one ambulance were pictured on the tarmac around the airplane.
The airline confirmed one disruptive passenger was removed from the flight.
Two other passengers were removed, including both the ‘ill passenger’ and a person travelling with them.
In a statement at the time, Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) said: ‘The HSE cannot comment on individual cases to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the people involved.
‘Departments of Public Health respond to notified cases of suspected infectious diseases, undertake a risk assessment of the situation and control measures are put in place, if required, to protect the public health.
‘Today, HSE National Ambulance Service and HSE Public Health undertook appropriate investigations at Dublin Airport following protocols in partnership with Dublin Airport, An Garda Síochána and Airport Police.
‘Public Health and National Ambulance Service managed this incident according to national public health guidelines.’
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