Malaysia Airlines flight makes U-turn to Kuala Lumpur due to 'pressurisation' issue

A Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Bangkok was forced to make an emergency U-turn and return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday (June 24) after experiencing a "pressurisation issue" after takeoff.

Flight MH780, carrying 164 passengers and 12 crew members, departed Kuala Lumpur but had to initiate an emergency descent with squawk code 7700. Even as the pilots took immediate action, the cabin altitude remained within safe limits and passenger oxygen masks were not deployed, as per reports.

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The aircraft remained stable throughout the diversion and landed safely back at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, just over two hours after its initial departure.

A Malaysia Airlines spokesperson stated that an investigation into the cause of the pressurisation problem is currently underway.

Reports citing flight data showed the aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 18:17 pm local time on Monday (June 24) evening.

The Boeing 777-200ER had climbed to an altitude of 40,000 feet for the northbound flight to Bangkok, before the pilots declared an emergency while the plane was still flying over the Malaysian peninsula.

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Malaysia Airlines has experienced several major incidents.Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, on March 8, 2014 disappeared over the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board.

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, on July 17, 2014 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. A Dutch inquiry determined the aircraft was hit by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile.

(With inputs from agencies)