KOTA KINABALU – A Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Tawau was forced to turn back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport due to a technical issue onboard on Sunday.
Confirming this, the national airline said flight MH2664 from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on April 3 was also forced to turn back due to bad weather.
“The pilot made the decision to return to Kuala Lumpur in the interest of passenger safety. The aircraft landed safely in Kuala Lumpur at 5.03pm.
“The safety of our crew and passengers remains our utmost importance,” it said in a statement.
A passenger posted on social media that the aircraft, a B7370800, took a sharp dive from 31,000ft to 23,000ft within seconds based on her quick check on the Flight Radar app.
Halimah Nasoha claimed on Facebook that she was upset because she was not wearing a seat belt at the time.
“Passengers were seen screaming and crying in the aftermath.
“The aircraft circled over Melaka a few times before heading back to KLIA,” said Halimah who switched flights and arrived in Tawau around 9.50pm.
Social media was abuzz, with some claiming that the aircraft had run into an air pocket.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed that a mandatory occurrence report was submitted by Malaysia Airlines Bhd in regards to flight MH2664 from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau.
“The pilot in command and co-pilot managed the technical issue safely and returned to Kuala Lumpur for required maintenance action,” CAAM said in a statement.
“CAAM will continue to monitor the situation and will not compromise on any issue that can potentially jeopardise the safety and security of airlines operations and the public.” – The Vibes, April 5, 2022
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