Deputy Minister Aziz Kaprawi said the Airbus manufacturer was responsible for ensuring every aircraft was safe and “to look for a remedy if there were problems”.
“Unless AirAsia is not following the strict procedures of (upkeeping) the aircraft…
“The upkeep and maintenance of an aircraft in the aviation industry are very strict,” he told FMT.
He was asked to comment on an AirAsia X flight to Malaysia forced back to Perth, Australia today due to a technical problem. One passenger was reported as saying the plane was “shaking like a washing machine”.
The Airbus A330 from Perth to Kuala Lumpur experienced problems about 90 minutes into the journey.
The aircraft landed safely, with Perth airport reporting a “technical issue”.
An Australian newspaper claimed the plane returned on one engine. It also said a blade in one of its two engines had sheared off.
It was the second scare involving an Airbus A330 in Australia this month, with a China Eastern plane making an emergency landing in Sydney after a huge hole appeared in one of its engine casings.
The deputy minister also said he would instruct the Department of Civil Aviation to check on the maintenance records of aircraft belonging to Malaysian-owned airlines as it was the responsibility of every local airline to ensure every aircraft underwent stringent scheduled maintenance.
“I will be talking to the DCA. We do not want any problems. We want every local airline to strictly follow the rules and regulations of their aircraft,” he said.
In a statement, AirAsia X Berhad today confirmed that flight D7237 bound for Kuala Lumpur from Perth, with 359 passengers on board, returned to Perth Airport shortly after take-off due to technical problems.
It said passengers were attended to by its ground staff upon landing and all necessary assistance was provided.
It said their engineers were taking precautionary measures to check the aircraft.
Guests on board the flight would be transferred to the next available flight or the recovery flight.
AirAsia plane ‘shaking like washing machine’ returns to Australia
AirAsia X engineers checking plane that was turned back to Perth