United plane headed from Newark to South Africa turns around mid-flight, returns to N.J.
- News
- Updated: Nov. 24, 2025, 8:03 a.m.
- Published: Nov. 24, 2025, 6:57 a.m.
A United Airlines flight from Newark to South Africa turned around about four hours into the flight and returned to New Jersey after a passenger had a medical issue, officials said.
United 1122 left the gate at 8:32 p.m. Sunday but didn’t take off until 9:55 p.m. and was back on the ground at Newark Liberty International Airport just after 5 a.m. In all, it traveled 3,416 miles, according to FlightAware.com.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was scheduled to land in Cape Town at about 6 p.m. Monday — a 14 hour and 25 minute journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
The 236 passengers will be rebooked on a flight Monday, United Airlines said.
Jeff Goldman is a morning/early afternoon breaking and local news reporter for NJ Advance Media. He joined the Star-Ledger in 2010 after previously working as a high school sports reporter and sports copy… more
