AirAsia reassures public, investigating D7237 incident

PERTH: AirAsia Group yesterday assured members of the public that the safety of its guests and crew is of utmost importance.

It is conducting an investigation into the cause of an incident involving flight D7237 together with its engine manufacturer RollsRoyce, apart from cooperating fully with the local aviation authorities over the said incident.

“We would like to stress that AirAsia Group has always strictly followed the maintenance programme prescribed by our manufacturers. We have also complied with all regulations and requirements as set forth by every country where the airline operates, including Australia,” the group said in a press statement yesterday.

AirAsia Group also said it has also regularly passed safety and security audits conducted by Australian aviation authorities.

AirAsia Group has also initiated the process of undergoing voluntary IATA Operational Safety Audit ( IOSA) auditing for all airlines within the group, including AirAsia X Malaysia, AirAsia X Indonesia and AirAsia Indonesia, with AirAsia X Malaysia receiving two IOSA audit certificates in 2015 and 2016.

“AirAsia remains committed to meeting all safety and security requirements in all the countries that we operate in,” the group said.

According to a CNN news report yesterday, flight D7237 to Malaysia from Perth, Australia, was forced to turn back Sunday after the twinaisle Airbus A330- 300 aircraft began shaking due to what the airline called a ‘ technical issue.’

CNN quoted a spokesman for the Perth Airport: “The pilot identified a technical issue with the engine. The plane turned around and safely landed back at Perth Airport.”

“We were asleep and heard a loud bang around the 1-hour- and15-minute mark. It shook for the whole ride back, close on two hours. It was really shaky, very scary,” passenger Damien Stevens told CNN.

While it is not yet clear what caused the issue with the jet’s RollsRoyce engines. Any imbalance inside a rapidly-spinning jet engine can cause violent vibrations that are felt throughout the aircraft. Twin- engine aircraft like the A330 are designed to fly and land safely with only one engine operating.

AirAsia X Berhad confirmed in a statement that flight D7237 for Kuala Lumpur took off at 6.40am local time with 359 passengers on board and landed back at Perth Airport shortly before 10am. AirAsia X is the long-haul arm of low- cost carrier AirAsia, one of the largest low- cost airlines in the world, CNN reported.