Firefly Flight Forced To Turn Back Due To Technical Issues

A Firefly flight bound for Kota Bharu was forced to turn back to Penang 15 minutes after departing this morning due to technical issues.

It is being reported that flight FY1002/MH9948, bound for Kota Bharu, was experiencing technical problems and was required to return to Penang International Airport.

"The wheel could not be stowed after take off," passenger Phuah Kylie told Malaysiakini this morning. A check with Firefly's Penang counter confirms that an "aircraft swap" was done as repairs could not be done in due time.

All passengers on-board the flight are reported to have been moved to a new aircraft.

Passengers of FY1002/MH9948 were moved to the new aircraft after waiting for about an hour at the airport, and took off at 8.50am. The flight arrived in Kota Bharu an hour later.

Phuah said that the crew were "very professional" throughout the incident and passengers were mostly calm. "There was no panic on the plane and everyone followed instructions.

Firefly is Malaysia Airlines' budget carrier.

Launched on April 3, 2007, Firefly is operated by FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd (346606-K) formerly known as MAS Sdn Bhd, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System Berhad. Operating out of the Penang and Subang hubs, Firefly provides connections to various points within Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Singapore and Sumatera of Indonesia, aligning itself with the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) agenda.

fireflyz.com.my