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An airline spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that flight crew “worked with air traffic controllers” to coordinate landing at the Glendale, Ariz., base
NEED TO KNOW
- United flight 2078 made an unplanned landing at Luke Air Force Base on Monday, July 20, due to severe weather near Phoenix
- The plane carried 154 commercial passengers and six crew members and landed safely after coordinating with air traffic controllers
- Passengers were transported by bus to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport where the flight was originally scheduled to land
A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing at a military base this week after encountering severe weather.
In a statement to PEOPLE, an airline spokesperson confirmed United flight 2078, traveling from Houston to Phoenix, was forced to land at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on Monday, July 20, in order to ensure a safe landing.
The crew “elected to land at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona as the safest course of action,” the statement read.
The flight crew “worked with air traffic controllers” to coordinate the landing at the base, the spokesperson added.
After touching down, United said it “arranged for buses to take our customers to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport,” where they were originally supposed to land.
“We’re grateful for the support from the Air Force and our teams at Phoenix Sky Harbor for finding a solution for our customers on this flight,” the statement concluded.
The plane, a Boeing 737-900, was carrying 154 passengers and six crew members when it was diverted to the base on Monday night. It departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston at approximately 7:49 p.m. local time and landed at the military base around 8:49 p.m. local time, according to FlightAware.
The plane is expected to fly back from Luke Air Force Base to Houston without passengers on Tuesday, United said.
Earlier this month, a separate United flight made an unexpected diversion after pilots reportedly noticed unusual vibrations coming from one of the aircraft’s engines.
The plane, United Airlines flight 509, had departed from Rome Fiumicino “Leonardo da Vinci” Airport in Italy on Saturday, July 11, and was scheduled to land at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, according to FlightAware.
However, the incident prompted the plane to make a sharp turn north while flying over the Atlantic Ocean so it could divert to Shannon Airport in Ireland about three hours into its journey.
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Passengers previously opened up to PEOPLE about the scary ordeal, with one passenger describing the incident as a “sudden, loud bang from the right side of the aircraft. Immediately afterward, the plane began shaking violently.”
He continued, “This wasn’t normal turbulence. It was a loud, continuous vibration that could be felt and heard throughout the cabin. Nearly everyone around me immediately started looking around, trying to figure out what had happened.”
In a statement previously shared with PEOPLE, a United spokesperson confirmed flight 509, carrying 215 passengers and 11 crew, “landed safely in Shannon, Ireland to address an issue with one engine.”
Read the original article on People
