Flight UA28, which was carrying 227 passengers and 13 crew, was en route to New Jersey in the US when it fell foul of a "maintenance issue"
A passenger plane spent hours circling over the English Channel today after it was forced to return to Heathrow Airport due to a "maintenance issue".
The US-bound flight, carrying 227 passengers and a crew of 13, left the airport at around 11am on its way to Newark, New Jersey, but was forced to divert shortly after take-off.
The United Airlines aircraft was initially expected to land back at Heathrow at 1.15pm but flight radar websites showed the Boeing 767-400 circling at 12,000 feet for a number of hours.
United Airlines confirmed Flight UA28 finally landed safely at Heathrow at shortly before 4pm.
"Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft," an airline spokesman said.
"Our customer service team at Heathrow is providing assistance to customers and is making arrangements for them to complete their journeys.
"We regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers."
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