United Airlines flight diverts back to Hawaii after flames shoot out of the plane's engine

A United Airlines flight was diverted back to Hawaii after flames starting shooting from one of the plane's engines. 

Flight UA 132 departed from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Sunday for Majuro, the capital city of the Marshall Islands, when an issue with one engine forced the aircraft to return less than an hour into the flight.

Passenger footage obtained by local news channel KHON2 shows sparks flaring from the Boeing 737-800. Josh Ley, who recorded the clip, told the outlet that the left wing "had fire and smoke coming out the back for like a few seconds, like two spurs of fire."

Previously: Spider-Man stars in United Airlines' new safety video

In a statement to USA TODAY, United Airlines confirmed that "pilots worked quickly to address the (engine) issue and land the aircraft safely."

Learn more: Best travel insurance

"The aircraft is being taken out of service and customers have been booked on other flights to get them to their final destinations as quickly as possible," United spokeswoman Maddie King added. "We apologize to our customers for this experience." 

The flight, which takes five hours to complete, is entirely over open water. 

Related: Passenger indicted for alleged mid-flight sexual assault of 19-year-old woman