United Airlines flight diverted due to ‘biohazard’ – with crew vomiting and passengers requesting masks

The aeroplane was deep cleaned at Washington Dulles airport

The United Airlines aeroplane spent almost four hours on the runway in Virginia (iStock / Getty)

A United Airlines flight bound for Boston was forced to divert to Washington Dulles International Airport on July 28 following a medical emergency involving a passenger.

United Airlines flight 2477 from Houston, Texas was a few hours into the journey to Boston when the incident occurred. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, landed at Dulles Airport at approximately 1.36pm EST.

The airline confirmed that a passenger experienced a medical issue requiring immediate attention, prompting the decision to divert the flight.

An airline spokesperson said: “The flight was diverted to Washington-Dulles after a customer experienced a medical issue.”

While on the ground at Washington Dulles airport, the plane underwent a deep clean.

“The aircraft subsequently departed Washington-Dulles at 1717pm (local time) yesterday,” added the United Airlines spokesperson.

While the airline has not released specific details about the passenger’s condition, it did say that none of the 155 passengers or six crew onboard needed medical assistance once the plane had landed.

According to audio shared on X (formerly Twitter), a crew member reportedly described the situation as "quite bad."

"I talked to the crew and it sounds like it’s quite bad back there, it’s still really bad," the employee is heard saying. "The crew is vomiting, and passengers all around are asking for masks.

"With this kind of being a biohazard I think we need to probably get this plane on the ground ASAP.”

The term "biohazard" typically refers to biological substances that pose a threat to human health, which in an aviation context can range from a contagious illness to bodily fluids contaminating the cabin environment.

No further information about the nature of the medical emergency has been released at this time.

The incident comes six weeks after United Airlines flight UA998 was forced to divert to Dublin following a suspected medical emergecny.

In June, another United Airlines flight from Canada to Texas descended into chaos when 30 passengers fell ill, with medical assistance waiting for them on the tarmac as the planed landed.

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