Published August 16, 2022
A United Airlines flight from Athens, Greece to Newark, New Jersey made an unscheduled stop at Keflavik airport and arrived in Newark 10 hours after its scheduled landing time, RÚV reports.
One of the pilots tested positive for COVID just before the flight took off from Athens. According to aviation regulations, he needs three pilots for a long-distance flight between Athens and Newark.
To keep 300 passengers free of charge for one night in Athens, United has come up with another solution. The plane could fly to Keflavik with just his two pilots and connect to Newark from there.
However, passengers had to stay in Athens for an additional five hours because the crew needed a mandatory rest period. A sick child was also removed from the plane in Keflavik, and the plane had to wait for a replacement medical kit.
