AirAsia statement regarding flight AK128
Airport Isolation Transformer,
Taxiway Stopbar Light factory,
China Taxiway Indicator Light,
Cheap Taxiway Indicator Light.
Civil Aviation Resources Network, March 27, 2025: According to media reports, on the evening of March 26, local time, AirAsia flight AK128 caught fire in the engine during the flight and the flight returned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport urgently. The flight was originally scheduled to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Shenzhen.
In response to this incident, AirAsia sent a statement to the Civil Aviation Resources Network stating that AirAsia confirmed that flight AK128 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Shenzhen (SZX) on March 26, 2025 triggered an abnormal prompt due to a technical failure in one of the engines of the passenger plane about two hours after takeoff, and then returned safely to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIAT2). In the incident, the AirAsia pilot followed the established procedures for this instruction and requested priority landing to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew on board. The passenger plane landed safely at KLIAT2 at 12:06 am the next day without any accidents.
All 171 passengers and 6 crew members of the flight disembarked safely and were arranged to transfer to another passenger plane. The alternative flight took off at 3:46 am the next day (March 27, 2025) and landed at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport at 7:51 am.
AirAsia confirmed that there was no fire in the engine of the passenger plane. After inspection, the company team found that the cause of the accident was the release of hot air caused by pipeline damage, which caused the passenger plane to return to the apron for repairs. The passenger plane is expected to resume operations on March 31, 2025.
AirAsia Group Deputy CEO (Airline Operations) Captain Dato' Wu Chee Soon said: "AirAsia has confirmed that there was no engine fire incident as reported in the media recently. At that time, one of the aircraft's engines experienced an anomaly and our crew acted quickly and took appropriate measures in accordance with established safety and operating procedures. Our pilots and crew are highly trained and capable of dealing with such situations. After taking appropriate procedures, the aircraft landed safely without further incident.
"We thank Malaysia Airports, Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) and relevant security departments for their quick response and cooperation. We also sincerely thank all passengers on flight AK128 for their understanding and patience and ensured that alternative flights were arranged in a timely manner to connect them. The safety of our passengers is always our top priority and AirAsia is committed to upholding the highest safety standards to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew," added Captain Wu.