United Airlines diverts Hawaii-bound flight back due to mechanical issue

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Global Industry News

United Airlines diverts Hawaii-bound flight back due to mechanical issue

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Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Jan 1, 2025

A United Airlines flight bound for Hawaii was diverted back to Los Angeles due to a mechanical issue. The incident involved a Boeing 757-300 aircraft, which is part of United's aging fleet scheduled for gradual replacement in the coming years.

On December 31, the flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA) had to return shortly after takeoff. "According to Flightradar24, the jetliner traveled over the ocean and reached a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. However, it was soon seen turning around and returning to Los Angeles."

United Airlines confirmed that the plane landed safely at LAX at 12:15 p.m., and passengers were later transferred to another aircraft for their journey. "According to KLTA, United Airlines confirmed that the plane landed back in Los Angeles at 12:15 and a different aircraft was arranged to take the 226 passengers to Kona."

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The affected Boeing 757-300 is nearly 23 years old with registration N78866. Delivered in 2002, it has logged over 69,000 hours across more than 20,700 flight cycles as per ch-aviation records.

This diversion follows several recent incidents involving United's Boeing 757s. A similar situation occurred days earlier when another Boeing 757-300 was diverted due to smoke detected in the cabin during a flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

Additionally, there have been minor incidents including an October hydraulic failure on a Denver-to-Lihue flight and an odor detection leading to a Pittsburgh diversion.

United Airlines plans to phase out its older Boeing 757s with new Airbus A321XLRs starting in 2025. Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President for Global Network Planning and Alliances at United, highlighted that current operations are uneconomical for smaller markets served by these planes.