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A United plane made an emergency landing after suffering a mid-air fuel leak on Monday (March 11), marking the fifth incident involving the airline in just over a week.
United Airlines Flight 830 departed from Sydney, Australia, en route to San Francisco before redirecting two hours into the flight due to a "maintenance issue," the airline confirmed in a statement obtained by ABC 7.
"The plane landed safely, and passengers deplaned normally at the gate. We provided accommodation overnight for passengers and rebooked them to San Francisco," United added.
No injuries were reported in relation to the incident, which is the latest in a string of issues to Boeing planes dating back to March 4, when an aircraft made an emergency landing in Texas after flames exploded one of its jet engines minutes into its flight. On March 7, a United Airlines Boeing 777-20 flight from San Francisco to Japan was diverted to Los Angeles after one of its landing gears fell off after takeoff.
United Flight 821, which departed from San Francisco and en route to Mexico City, was diverted to Los Angeles the following day "due to an issue with the aircraft's hydraulic system." A United Airlines flight also went off the runway at George Bush International Airport as it was landing, leading to an evacuation, that same day.
Boeing said it was adding weekly compliance checks to every 737 work area, as well as additional equipment audits, in an effort to limit the recent issues.
“Our teams are working to simplify and streamline our processes and address the panel’s recommendations,” the memo obtained by the New York Post stated.
“We will not hesitate in stopping a production line or keeping an airplane in position.”