A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport after cockpit indicators signalled a possible fire in the cargo hold.
Flight UA32, carrying 135 passengers and seven crew members, had departed from Narita, Japan, bound for Cebu Island in the Philippines. According to Flightradar24 data, the plane took off from Tokyo at 17:40 local time and turned back about 50 minutes later, diverting to Kansai.
A United Airlines spokesperson told Newsweek: “Initial inspections by maintenance teams found no signs of fire.” The aircraft landed safely at Kansai at around 19:00 local time.
As part of emergency procedures, passengers were evacuated using emergency slides. United stated that passengers were transported to the terminal by bus, and two passengers with minor injuries were taken to hospital.
One passenger told Japan’s public broadcaster NHK that they felt uneasy after the emergency landing announcement, adding that panic ensued during the evacuation. NHK reported that both runways at Kansai Airport were temporarily closed for safety reasons, with one reopening shortly afterwards.
