United Airlines plane to undergo deep cleaning after several passengers feel ill on Vancouver-Houston flight

CNN
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A United Airlines plane departing from Vancouver, Canada, was removed from service to undergo a deep cleaning after several passengers who were on the same cruise ship reported feeling unwell on the destination flight from Houston, according to the airline.

The 25 sick passengers who complained of nausea Friday on Flight 1528 were part of a group of 75 people who had already traveled on a cruise to Vancouver, according to the Houston Fire Department.

United Airlines did not say which cruise passengers were on Friday’s flight, which carried 163 passengers and six crew members.

Travelers aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 that arrived in Houston shortly after 6 p.m. PT were sick “from the cruise,” Martee Black, a spokeswoman for the Houston Fire Department, told CNN.

Houston firefighters arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and evacuated three patients from the plane, but no one was taken to the emergency room, Black said.

“United Airlines is actively coordinating with health authorities to address the situation,” according to a statement from the airline. “Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”

The airline said the plane would be thoroughly cleaned before being returned to service “as a precautionary measure”.

CNN has reached out to the Houston Health Department for comment.

CNN’s Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.