Southwest Airlines Flight Bound for Vegas Makes Emergency U-Turn to Hawaii

Last updated: 9 July 2026 11:12

3 Min Read

A Southwest Airlines aircraft bound for Vegas was forced to turn around © Paul Danese

A flight from Hawaii to Las Vegas was forced to make a U-turn after a distress signal was emitted due to an in-flight emergency. The incident occurred on Sunday, July 5.

A cityscape image of Honolulu, Hawaii, at night time. The top third of the image depicts black night sky, with the bottom two thirds occupied by buildings of varying heights shapes and types. Most of the buildings are lit from inside, and the main pops of colour in the picture come from the red, white, yellow, orange, and blue lights. — The flight was diverted to Honolulu in Hawaii © Daniel Ramirez

Southwest Airlines Aircraft Diversion

At 8:40 p.m. local time on July 5, Southwest Airlines flight WN139 took off from Kahului on the island of Maui, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet was bound for Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Nevada and was due to arrive roughly five-and-a-half hours later. However, approximately 90 minutes into the journey, the flight was diverted due to an onboard incident.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demarcation point directive, which determines the direction an aircraft should divert towards in the event of an in-flight emergency, the aircraft was diverted back to Hawaii, landing in Honolulu just after midnight local time.

The front half of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft from the side. The plane is cobalt blue with white branding along the side of the fuselage and the engine. it appears to be taking off from a concrete runway. The background is occupied by distant mountains. — Southwest Airlines is arranging additional flights from Honolulu to Las Vegas for those impacted by the diversion © Tomás Del Coro

Squawk 7700!

It has been reported that while flying over the Pacific Ocean, the Southwest Airlines aircraft issued the “7700” distress signal, which is the standard international transponder code signalling an in-flight emergency. When a squawk 7700 signal is broadcast, authorities on the ground at the airport where the plane is to divert are required to clear a runway and prepare for landing. They must then arrange the necessary emergency services to meet the aircraft upon its arrival. After the signal was dispatched aboard flight WN139, the Southwest Airlines aircraft was diverted to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu.

Southwest Airlines declined to share details of the incident but confirmed that the diversion was made as a result of a passenger’s medical issue. The airline’s spokesperson confirmed that additional flights were being arranged from Honolulu to Las Vegas to help transport passengers affected by the diversion to their intended destinations. The spokesperson commented that, though this process was in motion, getting the crew and an aircraft prepared and positioned takes time.

Have you been impacted by a similar diversion? Let us know in the comments.