United Airlines plane to undergo deep cleaning after several passengers report feeling sick on Vancouver-to-Houston flight

By Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — A United Airlines plane that departed from Vancouver, Canada, was removed from service to undergo a deep cleaning after several passengers who had been on the same cruise ship reported feeling unwell on the Houston-bound flight, according to the airline.

The 25 sickened passengers who complained of nausea on Flight 1528 on Friday were among a group of 75 people that had previously traveled on a cruise in Vancouver, according to the Houston Fire Department.

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

The travelers aboard the Boeing 737 Max 8 that arrived in Houston shortly after 6 p.m. CT were ill “due to the cruise,” Martee Black, a spokesperson for the Houston Fire Department, told CNN.

The Houston Fire Department arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and evacuated three patients from the plane but no one was transported 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 aircraft will be deep 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.

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