United Flight makes emergency landing in Osaka after false fire alarm

A United Airlines flight recently made an emergency landing after fears of a fire mid-air, at Kansai International Airport near Osaka on Friday, at around 6 a.m. ET.

United Flight 32, Boeing 737-800, took off from Japan and was heading to the Philippines.

About 50 minutes into the flight, the crew was alerted about the flames in the plane’s cargo, prompting it to make an emergency landing.

According to the Daily Mail, two of the 142 passengers were injured. Emergency services including fire trucks were present at the runway. 

However, it was later revealed that the fire-fear was later revealed to be a false alarm as no evidence indicated the eruption of fire.

A United Airlines spokesperson shared that the two passengers with minor injuries were taken to a local hospital.

In a statement on Friday, September 12, the Airlines said, “United Airlines flight 32 from Tokyo-Narita to Cebu, Philippines, diverted to Osaka due to an indication of potential fire in the cargo hold.”

They continued, “The aircraft landed safely and passengers deplaned via slides.”

One of the evacuated passengers said, “I panicked after we were ordered to evacuate. It took about five minutes after the emergency landing before we evacuated.”

United Airlines has been ranked fifth among the safest full-service airlines in the U.S. this year.