Hawaiian flight carrying 283 flyers return
A Hawaiian flight bound for Honolulu was forced to return to the Seattle airport shortly after take-off on Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration said smoke was reported in the cockpit of the plane.
The Hawaiian flight, Airbus A330, took off around 1 pm on Monday from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported.
The plane was carrying 273 passengers and 10 crew members when the crew reported fumes in the flight deck, Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson Marissa Villegas said in an email.
“The captain declared an emergency to obtain priority handling and the Airbus A330 landed at SEA without incident,” Villegas was quoted as saying. “Fire and medical personnel met the aircraft at the gate as a precaution and everyone onboard safely deplaned,” she said.
Once the aircraft was cleared, the Port of Seattle Fire Department boarded to investigate. The department, however, did not find any smoke or smell at the time, airport spokesperson Perry Cooper told the AP in an email.
Flight 21 left Seattle on Tuesday morning in a new aircraft, Villegas said. “Safety is our priority, and we sincerely apologise for this event,” she said.