LANGKAWI (Dec 30): An AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) turned back three minutes after taking off from Langkawi International Airport (LIA) this morning.

LIA manager Jefry Ramli said flight AK9327 carrying 156 passengers and crew departed at 9.17am.

He said the airport received information on problems encountered by AK9327 aircraft at 9.20am from the air control tower.

“According to Malaysia Airports standard operating procedure, the Airport Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) puts three fire engines on standby.

“At 9.30am, the AK9327 plane safely landed accompanied by three AFRS fire engines to the airport apron,” he said in a statement here today.

Jefry said all passengers and crew were safely evacuated while a check at Langkawi airport found flight AK9327 was rescheduled to 4.45pm.

Meanwhile, AirAsia confirmed that flight AK9327 bound for Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi today has returned back to Langkawi due to a technical issue.

In a statement, the low-cost carrier said the aircraft landed safely at LIA and all guests have safely disembarked the aircraft and were provided the necessary assistance.

“A replacement flight to Kuala Lumpur is being arranged and is scheduled to depart Langkawi at 4.45pm. Affected guests will be updated on its status and progress from time to time.

“The safety of our guests is our utmost priority and we strive to provide as much assistance as possible in these circumstances,” said AirAsia.