Malaysia Airlines pilot says he’s sorry

PASSENGERS have safely touched down in Malaysia after their Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney was forced to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs.

Flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was close to the West Australian coastline when it was forced to divert because of a technical fault in one of its engines on Thursday afternoon, the airline says.

The captain of the flight asked the crew to prepare for landing after passengers heard a loud bang before a warning indicator appeared on the aircraft’s monitoring system, Malaysia Airlines group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail says.

He insisted there was no chaos on board and said safety was never compromised. “I apologise to all our guests over the incident and understand the anxiety experienced,” Captain Ismail said on the Malaysia Airlines Facebook page on Friday night.

“The operating captain and the rest of the crew were in control at all times and made an accurate decision to obtain technical assistance from the nearest airport before landing the aircraft safely in Alice Springs.” A substitute flight from Alice Springs was organised for passengers on Friday evening which has since landed in Kuala Lumpur.

Chris Kanani, the husband of a passenger aboard, told the ABC his wife described the experience as “hell”.

“She said she was on the loo when she started hearing loud banging noises from the righthand side of the plane,” Mr Kanani told the ABC.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would interview the pilot and other crew and review all available evidence as part of its inquiries. “The in-flight engine shutdown and diversion of a twinengine Airbus A330 which landed safely at Alice Springs Airport will be investigated,” the ATSB said in a statement.