An American Airlines flight carrying an international drag celebrity flying to Los Angeles had to return to Auckland Airport less than two hours into the flight.

Emergency services were put on standby after the 787 Dreamliner's pilot declared the plane would be landing without dumping fuel.

Star of RuPaul's Drag Race, Detox, who had been in New Zealand to perform, tweeted about the incident.

"Whelp. We are turning back around to Auckland for some reason," she said, followed by a crying face emoji.