Two Southwest Airlines flights made emergency landings at Oakland International Airport Tuesday morning within two hours, one because of smoke reported in the cockpit and the other because of a cabin pressurization problem, officials said.
The report of smoke in the cockpit was made about 9:30 a.m. by a pilot who had just taken off from the airport on a flight bound for Reno, according to the Oakland Tribune.
The flight, which had 119 passengers and crew members, returned to the airport and landed safely as fire and rescue crews stood by as a precaution. It taxied to a gate under its own power.
Whether the flight was able to depart later or if the passengers and crew used another plane was not immediately known.
Earlier, a flight that had just taken off from San Francisco bound for Denver made an emergency landing in Oakland because of a cabin pressurization problem, officials told the newspaper.
The Boeing 737 with 143 passengers and crew on board landed successfully at 7:48 a.m. at the airport where fire and rescue crews were waiting as a precaution.
The aircraft taxied to the terminal area without incident and the passengers and crew got off. It was not immediately known the status of the plane of if the passengers and crew took off on another flight.
Authorities said it was easier for the plane to land at Oakland rather than return to San Francisco.
Despite the scares, a spokeswoman told the Tribune that the unplanned landings had no reported impact on Oakland International Airport operations.
