4-8-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has confirmed that a Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Jeddah, carrying Umrah pilgrims, was forced to turn back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 on Sunday (Aug 4) due to technical issues.
CAAM’s chief executive officer, Datuk Capten Norazman Mahmud, revealed that the airline had provided a preliminary report regarding the incident, stating that detailed information would only be available once a full investigation is completed.
“The airline has provided CAAM with a preliminary report. Detailed information about the incident will only be available once a full investigation is completed,” Norazman told Bernama.
He further clarified that the decision to turn back the flight, MH156, was a precautionary measure prompted by the technical issues encountered during the journey.
“It’s just precautionary; due to the technical issues, they decided not to continue (the flight),” Norazman added, confirming that all crew members and passengers on board were safe.
Earlier reports from the media indicated that the Malaysia Airlines plane, carrying 259 Umrah pilgrims from two agencies, had made an air turnback to KLIA. Flight data from Flightaware.com showed that the plane departed from KLIA at 3.13 pm and landed safely back at the airport at around 4.56 pm.
As of 8.50 pm, Malaysia Airlines had yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident, leaving the authorities to provide the initial details surrounding the unexpected return of the Jeddah-bound flight.
