United airline Flight From Japan to US with over Two Hundred Passengers Diverted to Anchorage Due to Mid-Flight Fuel Leak: New Report You Need to Know

Published on April 19, 2025

On April 18, 2025, United Airlines flight UA130, en route from Tokyo Haneda (HND), Japan, to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), was diverted to Anchorage (ANC) after a technical issue occurred mid-flight.

United Airlines operates a daily service between Newark and Tokyo Haneda with a Boeing 777 fleet, alongside a separate daily route to Tokyo Narita (NRT) using a 787-9 Dreamliner. The flight from Tokyo Haneda took off at 9:14 UTC, but after over seven hours in the air, the crew reported a suspected fuel leak, potentially from the aircraft’s port side.

Following the leak discovery, the crew made the decision to divert to Anchorage, where they successfully landed at 17:13 UTC. Upon arrival, the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER registered N791UA, shut down one engine (Engine No. 2) and taxied to the terminal using only a single engine. The flight had approximately 290 passengers and crew members aboard.

This Boeing 777-200ER, which is 27.7 years old, is powered by Pratt and Whitney PW4000 engines. Interestingly, this aircraft had been involved in a similar issue just a month prior, when a water leakage from the cabin ceiling prompted an investigation.

This fuel leak incident mirrors a previous event with a United Airlines Boeing 777-300 on March 11, 2024. Flight UA830, which had departed Sydney Airport (SYD) for San Francisco International Airport (SFO), was also forced to return to Sydney after just two hours of flying due to a midair fuel leak. This incident marked United Airlines’ fifth emergency in just over a week.

United Airlines has confirmed that in both cases, all passengers and crew members were safely deplaned, with no injuries reported.