An AirAsia flight bound for Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport (SZX) has been forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) due to an engine issue.
Flight AK128 departed Kuala Lumpur at around 21:59 local time on March 26. 2025. Approximately two hours after takeoff, a technical issue in one of the engines triggered an abnormal indication.
The pilots of the A320neo aircraft then followed procedures and requested a priority landing back at KUL Airport.
The flight, carrying 171 passengers and crew, landed safely with no injuries reported.
AirAsia confirmed in a statement that upon inspection, it was found that the indication was due to a damaged duct causing hot air to be released. According to the airline, this required the aircraft to return to the bay for rectification. The plane is expected to return to service on March 31,2025.
Meanwhile, passengers and crew members were transferred to another aircraft, which departed at 03:46 local time. The replacement flight landed in Shenzhen at 07:51 local time on March 27, 2025.
“Upon investigation, AirAsia would like to confirm that there was no engine fire as mentioned in recent media reports,” Datuk Captain Chester Voo, Deputy Group CEO (Airline Operations) AirAsia Aviation Group said in a statement.
“There was an abnormal indication in one of the engines, and the flight crew acted swiftly, and took the appropriate actions, following established safety and operational protocols. Our pilots and cabin crew are highly trained to handle such situations and the aircraft landed safely with no further incident after the appropriate procedures were conducted,” Voo added.
Voo noted that safety is the carrier’s top priority and thanked Malaysia Airports and the Airport Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) team for their swift response to the incident.
“We also thank our guests on flight AK128 for their understanding and patience and ensured that a replacement flight was promptly arranged to connect them,” Voo said.