A flight to the United States was forced to Shannon Airport this afternoon after the aircraft experienced a ‘maintenance issue.’
United Airlines flight UAL-271 departed Shannon at 12.35pm and was bound for Newark in the US state of New Jersey.
About 40 minutes after departure the flight turned around and returned to Shannon Airport.
The Boeing 757-200 jet landed safely at 2.12pm and was met on arrival by crews from Shannon Airport’s Fire and Rescue Service who accompanied the aircraft to its parking position.
The flight was later cancelled and the passengers have been accommodated in hotels overnight. The delayed passengers are due to resume their journey at 2.00pm today on flight UAL-3938.
The airline told passengers on its website: “Your flight is cancelled because we needed to take the plane out of service to address a maintenance issue. Your safety is our priority and we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”