The twinjet had just taken off from Honolulu and was operating an inter-island freight service

A Boeing 737 cargo aircraft has ditched into the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Honolulu in Hawaii.

The jet, which initial reports suggest is N810TA (c/n 21116), was being operated as Rhodes Express Flight 810 between the archipelago’s capital and Kahului.

According to a statement released to Reuters from the Federal Aviation Administration, the twinjet made a successful emergency landing in the ocean at around 2.30am local time, after the crew reported “engine trouble”.

The statement also confirmed there were only two people aboard and that according to preliminary information from the US Coast Guard, both crew members were rescued.

The 46-year-old 737-200 example is owned and operated by Indiana-based Rhodes Aviation Inc, which trades as Transair.