American Airlines accidentally sends uncertified plane to Hawaii

American Airlines has confirmed that it accidentally put an Airbus A-321S aircraft -- that was not certified to fly over the Pacific -- on a long-haul flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii, the media reported.

Airlines spokesman Casey Norton on sunday said "someone on the ground" realised the mix-up sometime after AA Flight 31 had departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on August 31, CNN reported.

Norton said the airlines immediately notified the flight crew and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the decision was made to allow the crew to complete the flight, and the plane landed safely in Honolulu.

Hawaii-bound aircraft are required by the FAA to have extra fire suppression equipment in the cargo hold and extra medical equipment on board, including oxygen -- since there are no points in between for an aircraft to divert if there is an on-board emergency.

American Airlines said the correct aircraft, the A321-H, was put into service on August 18.
Norton said the new plane was part of the airline's long-term strategy to upgrade service and it replaced a Boeing 757 that flew that route up until last month.

The return flight on that aircraft was cancelled, and the plane was flown back to LAX with just a minimal crew on board.