Two military fighter jets escorted a Honolulu-bound American Airlines aircraft on Friday after a man allegedly tried to break into the cockpit.
The airline said Flight 31, an Airbus A321 aircraft, landed safety at Honolulu International Airport at 11:35 a.m. local time. The flight originated from Los Angeles International Airport.
“Two Pacific Command F-22 Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard scrambled this morning in response to a reported disturbance on a civilian airliner making an approach to Honolulu International Airport,” U.S. Navy Commander Dave Benham told CNBC in an emailed statement.
According to the U.S. Pacific Command spokesman, the fighter jets “escorted the airliner to the airport in accordance with homeland defense procedures. Local law enforcement responded once the civilian airliner was on the ground.”
“Due to a disturbance during the flight, the crew requested that law enforcement meet the aircraft upon landing in Honolulu,” American said. “American is in touch with federal law enforcement.”
CNBC reached out to the FBI office in Honolulu for comment as well as the Hawaii Department of Transportation and local police.
“Once the Airbus A321 was in the air, the man allegedly tried to break through the cockpit door,” HawaiiNewsNow reported, citing “multiple sources.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the secretary was brief on the incident and confirmed “the individual who disrupted the flight has been detained. DHS is prepared to assist other federal and local law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident.”
Added DHS, “At this time there are no other reports of disruptions to flights. We continue to monitor all flights out of an abundance of caution.”
A spokesperson for LAX, where the flight departed at 8:43 a.m. local time on Friday, confirmed they were aware of the incident but declined further comment.