An Hawaiian Airlines plane has been evacuated after a reported bomb threat. Emergency services rushed on board the plane at San Diego International Airport on Tuesday.
The aircraft, which was due to fly to Honolulu, was taxied from the tarmac to a nearby airfield after the threat was made at around 8.30am local time. It was then met by law enforcement officers as the passengers were evacuated. According to 10 New San Diego, there were 283 passengers and 10 crew members on the aircraft.
Hawaiian Airlines said they “immediately taxied” the Airbus A330 to a safe location after a passenger was overheard making the threats.
They said: “There was a security incident this morning involving Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 from San Diego to Honolulu. During pushback from the gate, a guest was overheard making a threat to the safety of our aircraft.
“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.”
According to FOX 5, Port of San Diego Harbor Police confirmed that a bomb threat was made against the airline. One passenger filmed armed police storning the plane and captioned the video: “Bomb threat was called on the plane.”
Nicole Hall, a San Diego International Airport spokesperson, said: “During pushback from the gate, a guest was overheard making a threat to the safety of our aircraft. 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.”
Despite the emergency response, the spokesperson added that all airport operations were normal. No other flights were delayed and the airline is working to get the passengers to Honolulu as soon as possible.