Southwest Suggests Emergency Landing Due to Wildfire Confusion

A mystery smell of smoke pervading a passenger jet forced a Southwest Airlines plane to make an emergency landing on Sunday night.

Travelers on Flight 984, which was due to fly from Phoenix to San Francisco, instead found themselves making unscheduled stop in Ontario, California, after crew members smelled smoke in the cabin.

However, there was no visible smoke on the plane, and no signs of any faults after it landed, prompting an airline spokesperson to suggest that the smell may have been caused by wildfires burning on the ground below. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating.

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A Southwest spokesperson told Newsweek it was possible that the wildfire was responsible for the smell of smoke inside the plane, but said it would be difficult to prove conclusively.

In an emailed statement, she said: "Southwest Flight 984 from Phoenix to San Francisco made a precautionary landing at Ontario International Airport in California after the crew reported a possible faint smell of smoke in the cabin Sunday night.

"The aircraft was met by emergency personnel, who cleared the aircraft to taxi to the terminal after finding nothing amiss. We accommodated our customers aboard another aircraft to their intended destination of San Francisco. We apologize for any inconvenience. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees."

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Thousands of California residents have been forced to flee their homes as a line fire has been raging across San Bernardino County in the south of the state since Thursday, with more than 600 firefighters trying to combat the flames. California Governor Gavin Newson declared a state of emergency over the weekend in order to access federal help to tackle the blaze.

The Southwest pilots were reportedly given oxygen masks, as required by safety procedures, and the Boeing MAX-8 plane landed safely at Ontario International Airport shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. It had taken off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just after 7:30 p.m.

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Passengers were subsequently removed from the aircraft and later transferred to another plane, which finally arrived at the intended destination of San Francisco hours after its scheduled time.

The incident comes amid a spate of widely reported safety issues hitting a slew of airlines.

There have been reports of near-misses between planes, deadly crashes, severe turbulence, and violent passengers. In April last year, Southwest was forced to ground all of its planes after the airline's fleet suffered technical problems.

Alaska Airlines was forced to ground its entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft after a section of fuselage broke off mid-flight earlier this year.

Experts insist that American air travel remains safe and it is actually statistically safer than traveling by car, according to government figures.