A Hawaiian Airlines flight carrying 12 crew members and 67 passengers made an emergency landing at Midway Atoll on September 24, 2021.
Flight HA 460 departed Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) at 21:00 local time on September 23, 2021 and was due to arrive at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) 11:30 local time on September 24, 2021.
Five hours and 45 minutes after take-off, the captain received a low pressure notification alarm. A Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson told press that out of abundance of caution, the captain decided to divert the aircraft, an Airbus 330-200 with registration code N386HA and make an emergency landing at Henderson Field on Sand Island in Midway Atoll (MDY).
The atoll measures 2.4 square miles and is located in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) north west of Honolulu, near the International Date Line.
The aircraft made the emergency landing without any incident. Passengers were deplaned, given shaded shelter and hot meals.
A second aircraft left Honolulu and landed at MDY on Friday shortly before 4 p.m. local time to serve as replacement. The second flight also carried a team of mechanics and crew members.
Passengers boarded the second aircraft which resumed the flight to Honolulu, and arrived at approximately 9 p.m. local time. Total flight time delay was 9 hours. The original aircraft was inspected before flying onwards to Honolulu.
