United San Francisco to London Flight with 777 Makes U-Turn

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SAN FRANCISCO— Chicago-based United Airlines (UA) flight UA948 from San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow (LHR) on July 15, 2025, was forced to return shortly after departure due to a technical issue. The Boeing 777-200ER, registered as N76021, diverted back to SFO after spending over an hour airborne.

The flight, originally scheduled for a 16:00 local departure, faced operational delays before takeoff and was ultimately cut short mid-route when the crew identified the problem. Passengers were informed of a technical issue requiring the aircraft to return for safety reasons.

United London Flight Returns to SFO

Flight UA948 departed San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at 16:40 local time on July 15, 2025, bound for London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

Operated by United Airlines (UA), the 15.2-year-old Boeing 777-200ER had been delayed initially, with notifications citing a technical issue.

After takeoff, the aircraft followed its transatlantic routing before making a turn near the US-Canada border, northwest of Winnipeg, and headed back to San Francisco.

According to data from Flightradar24, the flight was airborne for over 7 hours before landing safely back at 7:03 UTC at SFO.

United Airlines communicated to passengers via its mobile app that the aircraft returned to the airport due to an ongoing technical issue, emphasizing that passenger safety remained the top priority.

The aircraft’s flight tracking path clearly shows a partial trajectory towards London before a decisive U-turn. There was no indication of an in-flight emergency or any immediate threat to safety, but United opted for a precautionary return.

Passenger Impact and Rescheduled Flights

Passengers of UA948 experienced significant disruption due to the incident. The flight, originally slated to arrive at London Heathrow at 10:25 AM local time on July 16, was rescheduled to depart San Francisco later that night.

The updated departure time was listed as 1:18 AM local time on July 16, with an adjusted arrival time of 7:26 PM in London.

Similar Incident

United Airlines (UA) Flight UA82 from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) was forced to return to EWR on July 7, 2025, after a technical malfunction. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, landed safely with no reported injuries.

The Newark (EWR) to Delhi (DEL) service is a daily route operated by United Airlines (UA) using the Boeing 787-9. Flight UA82 departed EWR at 21:30 local time, scheduled to reach Delhi at 21:30 local time the next day.

According to data from FlightRadar24, United Airlines Flight UA82 reached a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet, maintaining a ground speed of approximately 500 knots. However, after around 45 minutes of flight, the crew detected a technical fault related to the aircraft’s electronics cooling system.

Following standard safety protocols, the pilots declared an emergency and turned the aircraft back to Newark.

The Boeing 787-9, registered N23983 and powered by two GEnX engines, landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at 23:15 local time. Passengers disembarked at Terminal C without incident.

The incident involved the aircraft’s electrical equipment cooling system, which is crucial for maintaining safe operating conditions for onboard avionics.

A fault in this system can lead to overheating of critical electronic components, necessitating precautionary measures like altitude adjustments or, in this case, a return to the point of origin.

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