Flight returns to BIA 90 minutes after take-off

Over 150 passengers on board a Malaysia Airlines flight from Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur returned to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) three hours after take-off on Sunday.

The passengers were then left stranded at the BIA for almost three hours with no proper explanation for the return.

The flight (MH193D), was supposed to take off at 12.45 am from the BIA but took off only at 1.15 am. It is understood to have returned midway at 4.30 am.

One of the passengers said the flight had to return due to bad weather with fog affecting visibility. Another passenger, while stating that no proper information was forthcoming from the flight crew, said they were first informed that it was bad weather, then they were told that there was a technical glitch.

Ramanath Ksheeraddhi, who was onboard for a business trip, claimed: “They said that the radar navigation system was not working and fog was affecting the flying. But that is not the actual reason. The pilot (Captain Ali) had not taken adequate rest before the flight, therefore the Malaysia airport authorities did not allow him to land.”

On arriving at the BIA, Ksheeraddhi said there was no proper correspondence from the airline and that they were left unattended for almost four hours. “The person in-charge arrived at the airport only by 8 am. Even after that we had to fight for accommodation and alternative arrangements,” he said.

Reacting to complaints made by passengers, Sandeep Daniel, the Station Manager for Malaysia Airlines at the BIA, said: “I am the only person in-charge for the airline. So I had to be at various places on the ground and it took me some time to meet them. I can, however, assure you that they would have been attended to as the Air India staff also take care of our customers.”

The airline finally accommodated them at the Fortune Hotel in Majestic and arranged for an alternative flight at 7 pm.

In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said the flight returned to Bangalore after being airborne for one-and-half hours due to a technical issue with the flight.

Hamzah Ayob, Malaysia Airlines General Manager (Karnataka) said: “On detecting the technical fault, the captain of the aircraft ensured all safety precautions were observed while bringing the aircraft back to Bangalore and all our passengers were provided all necessary assistance to minimise the discomfort during this duration.”