American Airlines flight to Tokyo from NYC forced to turn around 7 hours into trip over ‘maintenance issue’

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-03 09:50:22 | Updated at 2025-04-04 06:03:04 20 hours ago

An American Airlines flight from New York City to Tokyo was forced to turn around over the Pacific Ocean on Monday night before flying back to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas after experiencing a “maintenance issue.”

American Airlines Flight 167 took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York at about 11 a.m. on Monday and was expected to land at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) in Japan at about 2 p.m. the next day.

Flight Aware data shows that the aircraft had crossed the US and was over the Pacific Ocean when nearly seven hours into the flight, it turned around and headed back toward the US.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew over several states, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oklahoma, before ultimately landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport just before 10:15 p.m. local time on Monday.

American Airlines told Fox News Digital the flight was diverted due to a maintenance issue, though details surrounding the issue were not provided.

An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner approaches for a landing at Miami International Airport on Dec. 10, 2021. Getty Images
The flight map of the American Airlines jet as it turned around over the Pacific Ocean and headed for Texas. FlightAware

“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused,” American said.

All passengers on the flight were provided hotel accommodations for the night, and the flight departed the next day for Tokyo.

The diversion comes after a series of aviation disasters in the US.

An American Airlines plane collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people last month.

The flight eventually took off from Texas and landed in Tokyo. FlightAware

Less than 48 hours later, a medical ambulance flight crashed in Philadelphia, leaving seven people dead.

Then earlier this month, a Delta Air Lines flight flipped upside down and erupted into flames while landing at Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport. Thankfully, everyone survived that terrifying ordeal. 

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