The flight departed around 6 p.m. for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but landed back at Newark at 9:37 p.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The airline said there were 190 passengers and 12 crew members on board the Boeing 767 aircraft.

According to air traffic control audio, security came to inspect the aircraft after someone named their Bluetooth device a “certain four-letter word.” A passenger posting on social media said crew members repeatedly asked passengers to turn off all Bluetooth devices, but two devices remained on. The flight turned around after communicating with the airline’s headquarters in Chicago.

Passengers had to evacuate as the aircraft was swept by Port Authority police, and passengers were rescreened by TSA and Customs and Border Patrol before reboarding. The airline declined to provide specifics on the cause of the incident.

Passengers boarded a replacement flight with a new crew, which took off early Sunday morning and landed in Palma in the afternoon.

This was the latest incident with a United Airlines flight this month. On Friday, a domestic flight was diverted because of a security concern with an unruly passenger. Earlier this month, a United flight landing at Newark airport struck a semitrailer truck and a light pole, though no one was injured.

Credits: United Airlines

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TERUEL, SPAIN – The move comes amid significant regional instability and airspace closures in the Middle East that have forced the Doha-based carrier to slash its flight schedule.

According to latest tracking data, the airline’s presence at the storage facility has surged to 20 aircraft as of today.

A Mass Exodus to the “Aircraft Graveyard”

The high-altitude, dry climate of Teruel makes it one of the world’s premier locations for preserving aircraft, as it minimizes the risk of corrosion. What was once a rare sight post-pandemic has now become a bustling “parking lot” for Qatar’s widebody fleet.

Currently en route to Teruel:

• 1 Airbus A350-1000 (Ferrying from Los Angeles)
• 4 Airbus A330-300s (Ferrying from Doha)

These new arrivals join an already significant lineup of Qatar Airways jets currently grounded at the facility:

• 5 Airbus A330s
• 4 Airbus A350s
• 1 Airbus A380 “Superjumbo”
• 1 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
• 1 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
• 1 Airbus A320

Strategic Retreat Amid Regional Conflict

The decision to evacuate these assets to Europe is a direct response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. With Qatari airspace facing intermittent closures and heightened security risks, the airline has been operating a “skeleton service” since mid-March 2026.

By moving the jets to Spain, Qatar Airways is not only protecting its fleet from potential physical threats in the region but also mitigating the massive operational costs of parking widebody aircraft at major international hubs.

Outlook for Recovery

While Qatar Airways recently announced a limited resumption of flights to select destinations in Western Europe and Asia, the heavy reliance on deep storage suggests a cautious outlook. The airline has already extended the suspension of several European routes until at least May 2026.

For now, the sands of Teruel will hold a significant portion of Qatar’s long-haul capacity, waiting for a stabilization in the geopolitical climate before they can return to the skies.

Credits: Qatar Airways

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