A United Airlines flight from Newark to Cape Town, South Africa, spent eight hours in the air Sunday night only to return to New Jersey after a medical emergency, the airline has confirmed. The Boeing 787-9, registered N24988, departed Newark Liberty International Airport just after 8:30 p.m., lifting off from runway 22R before climbing to 36,000 feet over the Atlantic. About four hours into the trans-Atlantic trek to South Africa, the jet reversed course, according to FlightAware data that shows the moment the aircraft turned around mid-ocean. By the time the plane landed back at Newark, passengers had logged eight hours in the air with no progress toward their destination. United said the decision to turn around was made to allow a passenger to receive medical care on the ground. The airline added that the individual is now being treated. It comes after a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX collided with a weather balloon over Utah last month. Flight 1093 was flying from Denver to Los Angeles on October 16 when the aircraft struck the object while cruising at 36,000 feet near Moab, Utah.
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