MH179 back for 'distressed passenger'

FLIGHT MH179 hovered over two hours in the Malacca Strait before returning to land at the airport. - Photo courtesy of Radar Flight 24

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) confirmed that the flight MH179 flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) early this morning following a "distressed passenger".

DCA Director-General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said the plane was not experiencing technical problems and all passengers survived.

"MAS inform it stems from 'distressed passenger'. There are no technical problems," he told BH in here a while ago but did not specify what kind of problems triggered a passenger.

Flight tracker website "Flightradar24" in the message twitter at 1.30 this morning, said the aircraft back to the airport after dumping fuel for two hours in the Straits of Malacca to reduce the weight of the plane, before landing.

The aircraft that took off from the airport at 11:27 pm due to arrive in Colombo at 12:18 midnight local time.

The incident broke back quickly spread in social media, particularly on the cause of the plane was forced to turn back after two hours hovering in the Straits of Malacca.

Meanwhile, MAS said in a statement to inform the passengers concerned pose a problem to the crew of the aircraft upon takeoff.

"Other passengers also have to help the crew to address the passengers in question because of her great.

MAS said the plane's captain decided to turn back to ensure the safety of all passengers.

"Upon arrival at the airport, the passengers in question had been submitted to the authorities," said MAS explain MH179D air travel to Colombo at 10:06 am this morning.