AirAsia denies Guangzhou flight turned back due to depressurisation
Published on: Wednesday, May 03, 2023
By: FMT
AirAsia says flight AK117 from Guangzhou to Kuala Lumpur did not encounter an ’emergency situation’. (Facebook file pic for general illustration)
PETALING JAYA: AirAsia has denied that its flight from Guangzhou to Kuala Lumpur on Monday was asked to turn back because of depressurisation.
The airline said although flight AK117 had to turn back because of a technical issue, it was not an “emergency situation” and “no depressurisation had occurred”.
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“The occurrence was caused by a separate technical unit that needed to be rectified before any cabin pressure adjustments could be made.
“While the separate technical unit is related to the cabin pressurisation, it did not cause depressurisation as mentioned,” AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said in a statement.
He said the flight crew were trained in safety and security procedures and took the appropriate measures to resolve the issue, adding that a return to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was necessary to rectify the problem as soon as possible.
He was responding to a video posted on social media yesterday, in which a passenger claimed that the flight had to turn back to the Guangzhou airport due to depressurisation after 20 minutes.
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The passenger claimed that the flight did not land immediately and was in the air for over three hours.
Riad said the aircraft had to burn the excess fuel over a designated area cleared by the air traffic control to ensure that its landing weight was within the permissible limits as per safety procedures.
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“The aircraft safely returned to the bay at 12.47am for rectification,” he said.
He said all the safety procedures were followed and the technical issue was rectified in accordance with industry requirements. The same aircraft was then safely cleared to fly.
“All guests were provided with the necessary assistance at the airport, including accommodation and travel vouchers, to minimise further inconvenience.
“In addition, all guests were provided with options to move their flight for free within 30 days or full credit account with two years’ validity or full refund,” he said.
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