KEFLAVIK- Chicago-based carrier, United Airlines (UA) flight from Chicago O’hare International Airport (ORD) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) made an emergency landing at Keflavik International Airport (KEF), Iceland due to a medical issue.
United Airlines operated one daily flight between ORD and CDG using Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. Today’s flight was also operated by 787-10, registered as N12004. It is a 5.7-year-old aircraft and is powered by two GEnX engines.
United ORD-CDG Flight Emergency Landing
According to Flight Radar 24 data, the United Airlines flight UA987 took off from Chicago on time at 11:31 PM UTC. The journey was smooth and the flight was cruising at FL370 or 37,000 feet to reach Paris on time.
But just in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, below Greenland, the flight crew pressed 7700 Squawk. Following this, the flight crew decided to divert to a nearby airport.
The flight diverted to Keflavik, the first diversion point for Europe-bound transatlantic flights. The UA987 flight landed safely at KEF at around 5:13 AM UTC.
Keflavik is well connected to Europe’s major airports. It sees around 29 weekly flights to Paris, the second-highest after Copenhagen (CPH).
The flight schedule data by FR24 shows that the United flight took off again at 7:26 AM UTC and is expected to land in Paris at 10:12 AM UTC.
We have reached out to the United Airlines media and communication team to find out the actual cause. At the time of publication, we could not get a response. However, we will update the post with official remarks once we have it. So stay tuned and make sure to turn on notifications.
UPDATE: United Airlines spokesperson said, “United flight 987 from Chicago to Paris diverted to Reykjavík to address a medical issue with a passenger. The flight then continued to Paris and landed at 12:19 p.m. local time.“
There were around 250 passengers along with 12 crew members onboard the 787-10 aircraft.
In 2017, United Airlines flight UA987 operated by 777-200 aircraft reported that the Captain’s side window outside pane shattered and a medical emergency. It was diverted to Newark (EWR).
Other 787 Incidents
In September 2024, an Air India (AI) flight from Delhi (DEL) to Birmingham (BHX), UK made an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo (SVO) in Moscow, Russia due to technical issues with 787 aircraft.