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Coronavirus: Plane diverted as passengers feared sneezing flyer had disease

The passenger was believed to be suffering from allergies

Qin Xie
Tuesday 10 March 2020 16:38 GMT
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A United Airlines flight had to be diverted due to a sneezing passenger
A United Airlines flight had to be diverted due to a sneezing passenger (Getty Images)

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A United Airlines flight had to be diverted to Denver, Colorado, after passengers on board the plane reportedly became "disruptive" due to fears over coronavirus.

United flight 1562 was travelling from Eagle in Colorado to Newark in New Jersey on 8 March when the incident took place.

A passenger on board the flight was coughing and sneezing, according to local reports, which prompted panic by those sitting around the individual.

Passengers demanded that the traveller be removed from the flight, according to CBS Denver, as they believed the person was sick.

Cabin crew tried to calm the situation to avail, which prompted the captain to divert the plane to Denver, where it was met by FBI agents.

It's believed the sneezing passenger was suffering from allergies, and they had been evaluated for coronavirus on board, according to the report.

Despite this, three passengers decided not to continue with their journey after the plane landed in Denver, according to the Denver Post.

An FBI spokeswoman told the publication that it will not be pressing charges against the disruptive passengers as it's deemed a "customer service issue".

A United Airlines spokesperson told The Independent: "United Flight 1562 from Eagle, Colorado, to Newark, New Jersey, diverted to Denver due to a small group of disruptive passengers onboard who failed to follow crew member instructions.

"After landing safely, the aircraft was met by law enforcement. The passengers were removed, and the flight re-departed for Newark."

Coronavirus is continuing to spread around the world.

Italy has announced that the entire country is on lockdown in response to the number of cases there.

While airlines around the world have cancelled a huge number of flights due to travel restrictions and fall in demand.

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