Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — As 2022 comes to an end, American Samoa has some inexpected visitors after a United Airlines flight was forced to divert to the territory. A United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney had to make an emergency landing on Friday into Pago Pago International Airport.

Aviation Source News is reporting that an United Airlines spokesperson said: “Today’s flight diverted to Pago Pago to address a mechanical issue. We’re making use of our facilities, including available hotel options, to accommodate our customers, and will fly in a new aircraft to the island, so they can finish their trip to Sydney soon.”

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the rescue flight was due to arrive in American Samoa later on Friday (local time) and should get the passengers into Sydney at around 7:15 am on Sunday, January 1, 2023, 24 hours after the initial flight was due to arrive.