A Hawaiian Airlines flight departing from Seattle and bound for Honolulu was forced to return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport shortly after takeoff due to reports of fumes in the cockpit, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Initially, the crew reported smoke in the flight deck, but this was later corrected to fumes.
The flight, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 21, operated by an Airbus A330, took off at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday with 273 passengers and 10 crew members on board. The aircraft was en route to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu when the crew detected the fumes, prompting the captain to declare an emergency to ensure priority handling. The Airbus A330 landed back at Seattle without incident, and emergency response teams met the plane at the gate as a precaution. All passengers and crew safely disembarked.
Following the landing, the Port of Seattle Fire Department conducted an investigation on the aircraft but did not find any evidence of smoke or odors. Subsequently, Flight 21 departed from Seattle the next morning using a different aircraft.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines expressed regret for the incident, emphasizing that safety is their top priority. The Federal Aviation Administration has initiated an investigation into the matter to determine the cause of the fumes reported during the flight.
