A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330, like the one involved in the San Diego bomb threat, seen on a US runway.
Credit : Markus Mainka, Shutterstock
Passengers evacuated after mid-take-off bomb threat rattles crew and police swarm aircraft
A flight from San Diego to Honolulu took an alarming turn on tuesday morning after a passenger reportedly made a bomb threat just as the plane was getting ready to take off.
The aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines Flight HA 15, had already left the gate when someone on board said something unsettling that got the attention of the crew. Within minutes, the pilot steered the Airbus A330 to a quieter part of the airfield, away from other planes.
283 passengers offloaded while armed officers sweep the cabin
Emergency services weren’t far behind. Police and federal agents swarmed the plane, and everyone on board, all 283 passengers, was asked to disembark around 10:30am.
One passenger captured the moment armed officers boarded the aircraft, sharing a short video online with the caption: “Bomb threat was called on the plane.”
Hawaiian Airlines later confirmed the incident, saying a guest was overheard making a threat. “As a precaution, the captain moved the plane to a secure location where law enforcement met it,” they added.
Airport runs smoothly as police dogs search the plane
The plane was later inspected by K9 units trained to detect explosives, but so far there’s no word of anything dangerous being found. Authorities haven’t yet named the passenger involved, and it’s unclear if charges are being brought.
Meanwhile, the rest of the airport carried on as normal. Other flights weren’t affected, and the atmosphere remained calm outside the incident area.
No one was hurt, but for passengers who thought they’d be sipping a cocktail in Hawaii by now, it’s been a stressful, and very unexpected, start to the trip.
