Summary
- A United Airlines Boeing 787-10 flying between Frankfurt (Germany) and Chicago (USA) had to be diverted to Edinburgh (United Kingdom).
- When the aircraft was diverted to Edinburgh Airport (EDI), the flight crew called “7700”, the general code for emergencies on board an aircraft.
- However, the plane’s departure from EDI was already scheduled, which could indicate that it was a medical emergency.
A United Airlines Boeing 787-10 had to be diverted to Edinburgh (Scotland) as it was about to cross the Atlantic on its way to Chicago (USA).
The reason for the diversion is still unknown, but the airline has already scheduled a departure from the Scottish capital.
Redirect to EDI
On August 27 at 9:03 a.m. local time (UTC +2), a United Airlines Boeing 787-10 with the registration N12020 took off on flight UA945 from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) .
However, when the 787-10 flew over the United Kingdom to cross the Atlantic, 
United Airlines The twin-engine aircraft began changing course north south of Hull in the British county of East Yorkshire.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
At the time of the diversion, the 787-10 had reached an altitude of 36,000 feet (10,972 meters) and maintained that altitude until it began its descent toward Edinburgh Airport (EDI), the chosen diversion destination.
Several other major airports were in the vicinity of the aircraft when it decided to divert to EDI, including Birmingham Airport (BHX) and Manchester Airport (MAN) .
Scream 77000
As the plane began its descent to the Scottish capital’s airport, United Airlines pilots called 7700, signaling a general emergency on board the plane.
However, the 787-10 performed a normal descent and landed in EDI at 9:45 a.m. local time (UTC +1) after being in the air for nearly two hours.
Its normal descent profile could immediately rule out cabin pressure problems, as the pilots would have expected a descent to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,048 m) or less.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
According to SKYbrary, a project run by EUROCONTROL, the reduced oxygen levels at altitudes below 10,000 feet (3,048 m) have little impact on pilots and healthy passengers, but above that the negative effects gradually worsen.
“Beyond an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,096 m – editor’s note), oxygen deficiency leads to loss of mental faculties, followed by unconsciousness and finally respiratory and cardiac failure.”
Leaving Scotland
While it is currently unknown why the aircraft was diverted to EDI, the fact that the 787-10 was already scheduled to depart Scotland may indicate a medical diversion. Simple Flying has contacted United Airlines for comment.
Photo: Felix Tchvertkin | Shutterstock
According to Flightradar24, the 787-10 was scheduled to depart EDI at 10:50 a.m., with Great Circle Mapper data showing that the great circle distance between EDI and ORD was 3,226 nautical miles (5,974 kilometers).
In addition to flight UA945, which was diverted on August 27, United Airlines offers a second daily flight between FRA and ORD, namely UA906. The latter flight has a scheduled departure time of 12:45 p.m., according to Flightradar24.
