United flight UA957 is declaring an emergency and returning to Geneva

GENEVA — A United Airlines flight bound for the United States was forced to declare an emergency and turn back shortly after departure on Thursday morning.

United Flight UA957, operated by a Boeing 767-300ER with registration N686UA, took off from Geneva Airport (GVA) at 09:18 CEST, heading to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

Just 30 minutes into the flight, while navigating French airspace, the flight crew halted their climb. The pilots declared an emergency, issued a squawk code to air traffic control, and initiated an immediate turn around to head back to Geneva.

Flight Details & Status

Flight Number: United Airlines UA957Route: Geneva (GVA) to Newark (EWR)Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER (Registration: N686UA)Departure Time: 09:18 CEST (Runway 22)Incident Location: French Airspace

The exact nature of the emergency has not yet been confirmed by United Airlines or local aviation authorities. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft holding a lower altitude as it aligns for its approach back into Runway 22 at Geneva Airport, where emergency ground crews are on standby as a standard precautionary measure.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.

UPDATE #1
Descending, starting approach to GVA.