KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 17): AirAsia Bhd group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the budget airline's pilots and crew "did a superb job" during AirAsia's Perth-to-Bali Flight QZ535, which was diverted back to Perth on Sunday after a technical issue.

Fernandes said this via Twitter following news reports on AirAsia's Flight QZ535.

"Our pilots and crew did a superb job. Plane lost pressure which happens to many aircraft. Pilots in a controlled manner took the aircraft down to a safe altitude where oxygen was not needed and the airacft lands safely.

"Depressurisation happens. I have been in an another airline when that happened and pilots also did an excellent job and are trained for it. Crew were not screaming but telling passengers as they had to sit down and belt up and get oxygen on for safety reasons," Fernandes said.

CNN reported yesterday that AirAsia told CNN in an email that the flight was diverted after a "technical issue." It was reported that the aircraft was being examined on Sunday to find the cause of the problem.

"We commend our pilots for landing the aircraft safely and complying with standard operating procedure. We are fully committed to the safety of our guests and crew and we will continue to ensure that we adhere to the highest safety standards," Capt. Ling Liong Tien, AirAsia Group's head of safety, said in the statement.