United Airlines passengers headed from Newark to Honolulu had their island getaway put on hold Saturday when Flight UA363 dumped fuel and turned back to Newark Liberty International Airport shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 767 landed safely, taxied back to the terminal, and passengers were deplaned. United later moved travelers to a replacement aircraft, although many ended up facing hours-long delays before finally getting on their way to Hawaii.
According to AirLive, UA363 departed Newark at about 9:37 a.m. EST and climbed to roughly 28,000 feet before descending to around 21,000 feet so the crew could vent fuel before returning. The jet was identified as a Boeing 767-400ER registered N66056; registry records show that the airframe dates to 2001, making it roughly 24 years old, per PlanePhD. Emergency services were on standby at Newark, but the aircraft landed without further incident.
How Fuel Jettison Works
Fuel jettison, sometimes called fuel dumping, is a last-resort safety measure pilots use to reduce an aircraft’s weight before an early landing, especially on long-haul jets that depart with full tanks. Aviation safety guidance notes that crews and air traffic control coordinate specific dumping areas and altitudes, typically several thousand feet above the ground over less populated zones, to allow the fuel to evaporate and disperse, according to SKYbrary. U.S. certification rules also require jettison systems on certain transport airplanes and set minimum performance and safety checks, as outlined by ChanRobles.
Passengers, Delays, and United’s Response
The turnaround forced United to inspect the airplane and arrange a replacement. AirLive reported that many travelers experienced an 8-hour, 50-minute delay before finally departing for Honolulu. Flight-status records from FlightStats show schedule disruptions for UA363 on Jan. 24 as the airline worked to move customers onto other services. United told reporters it was making arrangements to get its customers to their destination as quickly as possible, per flight-tracking coverage…