London, United Kingdom: A United Airlines wide-body aircraft operating a scheduled long-haul service from London to San Francisco made an unscheduled emergency landing at Edinburgh Airport on Thursday after a reported burning smell and a technical alert inside the cockpit.
The flight, operating as United Airlines Flight UA949, departed London Heathrow Airport for San Francisco International Airport on December 4. Around 90 minutes after takeoff, while cruising over northern airspace, the crew detected a possible technical issue linked to a brake-temperature sensor along with reports of a burning smell inside the cabin.
Following standard emergency procedures, the pilots declared a general emergency (squawk 7700) and diverted the aircraft to the nearest suitable airport. The Boeing 777-200ER, registered N74007, landed safely at Edinburgh Airport at approximately 4:35 p.m. local time.
Emergency services were positioned on standby as a precaution, but no injuries were reported among the passengers or crew. A total of 162 passengers and 12 crew members were on board at the time of the diversion.
United Airlines confirmed the safe landing and said that passengers were provided hotel accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights to continue their journeys. The aircraft remains grounded in Edinburgh pending a full technical inspection.
While initial indications point to a false or precautionary alert related to the brake system, aviation officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause. A detailed engineering review is expected before the aircraft returns to service.
The incident caused short-term disruption at Edinburgh Airport but did not impact regular operations in the long term.
