A Hawaiian Airlines flight from San Diego to Honolulu was diverted on Tuesday (May 20) due to a bomb threat made by a passenger. The Airbus A330, which had left its gate at San Diego International Airport around 8:30 a.m., was taxiing when the threat was reported. As a precaution, the aircraft was immediately moved to a secure location on the tarmac.
"As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield, where it was met with local and federal law enforcement and guests were safely deplaned," Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement.
Local and federal law enforcement, including heavily armored police, responded to the incident. Emergency vehicles surrounded the aircraft as K-9 units conducted a thorough search. Passengers were safely deplaned by 10:30 a.m.
No explosives were found, and the rest of the airport operations continued unaffected.
The Port of San Diego Harbor Police confirmed the bomb threat and coordinated with multiple law enforcement agencies to ensure passenger safety. Hawaiian Airlines is working to get the 283 passengers and 10 crew members to Honolulu as soon as possible.