Kuala Lumpur : Malindo Air has confirmed that Flight OD206, from New Delhi, India to Kuala Lumpur, was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand early Monday morning due to a technical glitch.
The airline’s chief executive officer Chandran Rama Muthy told that about 6am today, the aircraft’s pilot, in light of the technical issue, decided to stop at the airport nearest to them in accordance to standard operating procedures.All the passengers are doing fine and were grateful for the pilot’s quick and calm action.
The technical glitch is being investigated and has been formally reported to the relevant authorities, the engine and aircraft manufacturer, it added.
Chief executive officer R Chandran told The Star Online that oxygen masks in the aircraft had been deployed soon after the glitch was encountered, when the aircraft was over Yangon, Myanmar.
However, he said, this was a standard practice when an aircraft experiences decompression.“When there is decompression, the oxygen mask will come down and the pilot will go to the safest altitude to ensure that everything is under control,” he said.
Information about the incident by one of the flight’s passenger, Puteri Shehnaz Majid, who on her Facebook had posted her first hand experience from Bangkok.
“So we were half way back to KL from Delhi flying over the Indian Ocean when the pilot announced ‘emergency descent’ over the loudspeaker and the plane lost altitude in turbulent skies.“The oxygen masks came down and the AC (air-conditioner) was switched off. We were breathing through the masks for a good half an hour at least and a lightning storm to go with it.“The plane had to divert and we had an emergency landing in Bangkok. By the time we landed everyone was drenched in sweat.“A child vomited in her oxygen mask. An old man fell in the toilet when the plane began losing altitude. We’re safe, but stranded in the airport with no news yet as to when we will be able to fly back home. I understand that the problem had something to do with the AC and/or compression.”
Flight 206 was carrying 121 passengers including 3 infants, and 8 crew members.
