Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 returned three times to Los Angeles over unrelated issues

The aircraft was headed to Maui’s Kahului Airport from Los Angeles International, but turned back to the gate three times, and twice the aircraft had already taken off.

Hawaiian Airlines responded with the following statement in regards to the Hawaiian Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Maui that was turned around three times.

“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience to all our guests who were aboard Flight 33 from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Maui’s Kahului Airport today. Due to separate and unrelated faults with different systems, the flight returned to LAX three times after pushing back for departure, including two air turn backs, before we cancelled the flight. We understand our guests’ disappointment and deeply regret their travel plans were disrupted. Many Hawaiian Airlines flights, like HA33, are operated under regulations governing extended-range operations (ETOPS). These flights have more rigorous safety requirements because of the greater distance between suitable airports. When there is an abnormality on an over-land flight it can, and often does, continue to its destination, however, ETOPS flights operate to a more stringent safety standard. Our aircraft have redundant systems, yet our standard is to respond to any indication of abnormalities with an abundance of caution.”