A United Airlines flight from Milan to Newark made an unscheduled stop in Bangor, Maine, Tuesday so law enforcement could remove a passenger following what the airline described only as a disturbance on board. United Flight 18 touched down in Bangor around 12:02 p.m. and later continued on to Newark Liberty International Airport, landing there at 2:37 p.m.
The Boeing 777 had departed Milan Malpensa International Airport at 4:12 a.m. and was several hours into its transatlantic route when the crew reported the issue, according to NJ.com. An airline spokesperson said Flight 18 landed safely in Bangor to address the issue, and law enforcement met the aircraft on the tarmac to remove the passenger before the flight resumed its journey. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in an official statement that the plane landed safely at Bangor International Airport around 12 p.m. local time following a crew-reported passenger disturbance, and said an agency investigation is underway.
Neither United Airlines nor the FAA has detailed what happened in the cabin, and the airline has not said whether the passenger removed in Bangor was charged with any crime or which law enforcement agency handled the removal, per the same NJ.com account. Social media posts have offered a more graphic version of events that federal and airline statements have not confirmed. A passenger's post on X claimed an apparently intoxicated female passenger bit and kicked the person seated next to her before punching a flight attendant, while a TikTok video reportedly showed police escorting a woman off the plane. Those accounts remain unverified by official sources.
Why Transatlantic Flights End Up in Bangor
The diversion follows a familiar pattern for wide-body jets crossing the Atlantic. Bangor International Airport sits near the Great Circle Route across the North Atlantic, making it the first major U.S. airport available for incoming international flights that need to make an emergency stop, according to Simple Flying. The airport has processed nearly 1,200 total flight diversions since 2005, the outlet reports, a legacy of its 11,440-foot runway and on-site facilities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FBI — infrastructure left over from its days as Dow Air Force Base before the City of Bangor took it over as a joint civil-military airport.
News Center Maine reported that law enforcement met the aircraft on the tarmac in Bangor to remove the passenger before the Boeing 777 continued on to Newark. A similar scenario played out in March 2024, when United Flight 883 from London Heathrow to Newark declared a Level 3 emergency and diverted to Bangor so law enforcement could remove a disruptive passenger before that aircraft also resumed its route, according to Simple Flying's reporting on that earlier incident.
Federal Penalties Loom Large for Unruly Passengers
Federal aviation rules draw a hard line between civil and criminal consequences for disruptive flying. Customers who assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with airline crew members can face civil penalties of up to $43,658 per violation from the FAA, while cases involving violence are referred to the FBI and Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Under 49 U.S.C. § 46504, assaulting, threatening, or intimidating a flight crew member to interfere with their duties is a federal felony carrying penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Separately, federal aviation regulations under 14 CFR § 121.575 forbid airlines from boarding passengers who appear intoxicated and bar drinking on board unless alcohol is served directly by the flight crew. Airlines reported roughly 1,200 unruly passenger incidents in 2026, and through August, FAA enforcement tracking showed 1,163 unruly passenger reports, 89 formal investigations, 72 enforcement actions, and $1.5 million in total fines levied against disruptive travelers this year, per TravelPulse. That's still well below the pandemic-era peak of 5,973 unruly passenger reports logged in 2021, though annual totals have stabilized at roughly double pre-2020 levels, with 2,096 reports in 2024 and 1,621 in 2025.
This is at least the second time in recent months that a Newark-bound flight has drawn attention for in-flight disorder. Hoodline previously reported on a passenger subdued by a former police chief on a Newark flight involving alcohol, and on another United flight that diverted to Washington, D.C. after a passenger tried to open an exit door. United Airlines has not said whether the passenger removed in Bangor will face formal charges, and it remains unclear which agency ultimately took custody of the traveler.
