KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — A Malaysian Airlines flight was forced to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) tonight after experiencing pressurisation issues while en route to Bangkok.
In a brief statement, Malaysian Airlines said the operating pilots of MH780 initiated an emergency descent although cabin altitude was not exceeded.
“Malaysia Airlines flight MH780 on June 24, 2024, experienced a pressurisation issue while en route to Bangkok after departing Kuala Lumpur at 5:59pm.
“The operating pilots initiated an emergency descent although cabin altitude was not exceeded and passenger oxygen masks were not deployed,” it said.
#MH780 from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok is squawking 7700, indicating a general emergency. https://t.co/xfMx22UHXE
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 24, 2024
As the aircraft has descended to 10,000 feet, this may be a pressurisation related issue. More info on cabin pressurization here. https://t.co/2iQ1BUJezI pic.twitter.com/bBdiM6vrj3
The Airbus A330-200 remained stable and safely landed back at KLIA at 8:18pm.
“Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines,” it said.
According to AviationSource News, a United Kingdom-based aviation news portal, the aircraft had climbed to FL400 (40,000 feet/12,192 metres) for the northerly service to Bangkok, before declaring the emergency whilst still transiting the Malaysian peninsula.
