Flight from Portland to John Wayne Airport diverted to LAX

LOS ANGELES – An Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to John Wayne Airport was safely diverted to Los Angeles International Airport tonight after a strong plastic smell was reported coming from the back galley, an airline official said.

Flight 1154, an Airbus A320 with 146 passengers and five crew members aboard, was about 30 minutes from Orange County when crew members reported the smell, according to Alaska Airlines External Communications Director Bobbie Egan.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the crew declared an emergency for priority handling and landed safely at LAX at 7:46 p.m.,” Egan said. “We’ve removed the plane from service and maintenance technicians are inspecting the aircraft.”

The plane landed on runway 24-right, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department, which responded and tended to at least two people who had some kind of medical complaint.

Both patients were examined and released at the scene and no one was taken to a hospital, he said.

Some news outlets reported there was smoke in the flight deck, but that was inaccurate, Egan said.