Emergency landing as flight diverted to Dublin Airport after medical issue

A BUSY jet heading from Brussels to New York was forced to make an unscheduled stop at Dublin Airport due to two separate incidents on board.

The United Airlines plane was due to land at Newark Airport in New York but was forced to land in the capital due to a suspected medical issue and a disruptive passenger this afternoon.

Gardai, National Ambulance Service and HSE personnel were notified and met the aircraft on arrival.

The HSE infectious disease unit boarded the flight at Dublin Airport.

Appropriate protocols were enforced by Dublin Airport Operations and Airport Police to ensure the safety of passengers on the flight as they dealt with the two incidents.

The details of the suspected medical issue and disruptive passenger, which forced the flight to make an unscheduled landing, have not yet been revealed.

The unscheduled landing has no impact on the operations at the airport, and the passengers arriving in the capital should be at normal times with no delays.

The Dublin Airport Authority released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) about the unscheduled landing.

The statement reads: “Flight UA998 from Brussels to New York’s Newark Airport diverted to @DublinAirport this afternoon due to reports of two separate incidents – a disruptive passenger and a suspected medical issue – on board.

“Appropriate protocols were put in place by Dublin Airport Operations and Airport Police for the arrival of the aircraft and Gardai, National Ambulance Service and HSE personnel met the aircraft on arrival.

“There is no impact on operations at Dublin Airport and passengers travelling this evening should plan to arrive at the airport as normal.”

In a statement, the HSE said they “cannot comment on individual cases” to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the people involved.

They added: “Departments of Public Health respond to notified cases of suspected infectious diseases, undertake a risk assessment of the situation and control measures are put in place, if required, to protect the public health.

“Today, HSE National Ambulance Service and HSE Public Health undertook appropriate investigations at Dublin Airport following protocols in partnership with Dublin Airport, An Garda Síochána and Airport Police.

“Public Health and National Ambulance Service managed this incident according to national public health guidelines.”

Separately, Dublin Airport has seen its busiest day over the Bank Holiday Weekend, as over 100,000 passengers passed through.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the airport said: “A busy Sunday at Dublin Airport with more than 115,000 passengers passing through. A warm welcome awaits for all those flying today.”

In the picture a huge pride flag can be seen welcoming arrivals, with the words: “DAA celebrating Pride”.

Busiest weekend at Dublin Airport

It was expected that over 450,000 people would pass through the airport this June Bank Holiday.

The four day period between last Friday and today, Monday saw 240,000 passengers departing from Dublin Airport with 210,000 passengers arriving.

The busiest day was yesterday, Sunday June 2 when 117,000 passengers were expected to travel through the airport.

The car parks at Dublin Airport were sold out for the entire weekend.

Those without an existing booking were advised to travel to the airport via an alternate mode such as a bus or taxi.

Spaces are still available in the short-term car parks for people dropping off and picking up passengers.