KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 – A Malindo Air flight bound for Kuala Terengganu had to turn back to the Subang Airport here this morning after one of its engines caught fire.
The hybrid airline, in a statement, said the incident occurred as the aircraft climbed to about 7,000 feet (2,334 metres) soon after it took off at 7.30am.
It said the aircraft fire detection system was activated and the crew immediately carried out an emergency standard operating procedure to contain the situation.
“The captain decided to turn back to Subang and the aircraft landed safely at the airport. No one was hurt.
“All the passengers were later transferred to another flight for
Terengganu,” it said.
Malindo Air said the cause of the fire was being investigated and the incident was reported to relevant authorities, including the engine and aircraft manufacturer.
It was learnt that Terengganu footballers were among the passengers onboard. They were returning home after their Super League match against the Armed Forces at the Selayang Stadium last night.
Terengganu won 3-0. A picture of the burning engine posted on a social media site by Terengganu midfielder Faiz Subri this morning went viral. Meanwhile, the Terengganu Football Association’s website said the team took a replacement flight back to Kuala Terengganu at 10am.
Headquartered in Petaling Jaya, Malindo Air is a joint venture between National Aerospace and Defence Industries (Nadi) of Malaysia and Lion Air of Indonesia.
– Bernama
