Southwest Flight Declares Emergency, Issues International Distress Code Before Diverting to Honolulu

A Southwest Airlines flight declared an international distress signal and diverted to Honolulu after a reported medical issue aboard, according to accounts cited by PEOPLE and FlightAware. On Sunday, July 5, flight WN139 departed Kahului Airport on Maui around 8:40 p.m. local time for Harry Reid International Airport in Nevada, a trip scheduled to take about five and a half hours. Approximately 90 minutes after departure, flying at about 32,500 feet over the Pacific, the crew made a U-turn toward Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The crew squawked 7700, the international transponder code used to indicate an inflight emergency. FlightAware says the aircraft landed on O’ahu just before midnight after more than three hours in the air, and Southwest added an extra Honolulu-to-Las Vegas flight for affected passengers due to the diversion.