A Hawaiian Airlines flight heading from Honolulu to Tokyo declared an emergency on Monday as a precautionary measure after a mobile device became lodged in a seat, creating an “electrical smell” on the plane.
The carrier said in a statement to FOX Business that Hawaiian Airlines Flight 457’s emergency declaration was issued “out of an abundance of caution” so the aircraft could receive “priority handling” when it arrived at Haneda Airport, which is located in the greater Tokyo area.
“The Airbus A330 landed without incident and arrived at the gate shortly after 9 p.m. local time,” the carrier told FOX Business.
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The airline said safety “is our priority,” adding, “We apologize to impacted guests for the inconvenience.”
Upon its passengers disembarking at the airport, Hawaiian Airlines dislodged the mobile device from where it was trapped in the seat.
A similar incident happened last week, when a Lufthansa flight diverted after a passenger’s tablet became “jammed” in a seat, Simply Flying reported. The flight departed Los Angeles on Wednesday and was headed to Munich, but landed in Boston. Passengers eventually departed, but arrived in Germany behind schedule.
“To eliminate any potential risk, particularly with regard to possible overheating, the cockpit crew and air traffic control jointly decided – as a precaution – to divert the flight to Boston,” a Lufthansa spokesperson told the outlet. “There, a Lufthansa Technik team safely removed and inspected the damaged tablet.”
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