Alaska Airlines declared emergency for Seattle-bound flight

SEATTLE – Passengers on a flight between Seattle and Rome faced a roller-coaster of travel plans over the weekend as a mechanical issue eventually caused an international flight cancellation. 

Flight 181 was airborne after departing Rome to return to Seattle on Sunday when the flight crew became aware of a mechanical issue. 

In order to receive priority to land, the airline says their crew declared an emergency. 

What they’re saying:

“While the crew declared an emergency to receive priority handling from air traffic control, the aircraft landed safely and there was no emergency on landing. Following additional evaluation, we determined the aircraft required further maintenance and canceled the flight,” read a statement from Alaska Airlines sent out on Sunday, July 19. 

Heading into Sunday evening, representatives for the company said they were actively working to arrange alternate accommodations. 

Dig deeper:

Nonstop flights between Seattle and Rome are a new venture for Alaska Airlines. The flights run between April 28 and October 23 for 2026. The service is daily, departing Seattle usually at 5:30 p.m. to arrive in Rome by 1:15 p.m.

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