In a statement, the national airline pointed out poor visibility and gusty winds caused the pilot to abort landing at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan.

“The MH1286 flight was then re-timed and departed Kuala Lumpur at 1.40am and arrived in Kuantan at 2.30am.

“Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines,” it said today.

It was responding to reports that its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan on Sept 18 night was forced to return to KLIA.

This was because the aircraft encountered heavy rain and strong winds, causing severe turbulence.

During the journey, some passengers were screaming in fear, according to a passenger, Yusri Najmi Yusof, 18, who sent a WhatsApp message to his father this morning.

Yusri had said the plane landed at KLIA and remained there for an hour before taking off. It landed successfully at 2.20am.

Two passengers left the aircraft at KLIA due to fear before the second take-off.

The flight was originally scheduled to depart from KLIA at 10.05pm but was delayed by 33 minutes for the 45-minute flight.