Hawaiian Airlines flights from San Diego to Honolulu this morning stopped shortly before takeoff after passengers allegedly threatened to bomb the aircraft.
“This morning there was a security incident involving Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 from San Diego to Honolulu. During a pushback from the gate, we heard a guest pose a threat to the safety of the aircraft.”
“As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield, where he was met with local and federal law enforcement agencies and the guests were safely denied.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating an incident that occurred while the flight was ready to depart at 8:28am.
“After receiving a report of a threat, the agents responded to San Diego Airport. We determined there was no current threat to public safety, but this is an ongoing issue and there are no further details.” “We continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and to report all suspicious activities to law enforcement immediately.”
At the time of the incident, there were 283 passengers and 10 crew members on board.
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“We appreciate their understanding in this situation and apologize for any concerns this may have caused. We are committed to bringing all our guests to Honolulu as soon as possible. We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our flight attendants and pilots throughout this event,” read the statement.
NBC News 7 San Diego reported “dozens of emergency vehicles in the tarmac near the plane” that included police cars and unmarked black SUVs.
“The A330 was cleared by law enforcement and the guests were re-boarded. The HA15 departed San Diego for Honolulu around 2:15pm local time, about five hours after the scheduled departure time,” read a statement from Hawaiian Airlines.
The flight arrived in Honolulu at 4:54pm and its expected arrival time was 11:45am.
