Problem with toilet forces Malaysia Airlines flight to return to London
MH1 lands safely at Heathrow airport after it had already taken off for Kuala Lumpur.
PETALING JAYA: A Malaysia Airlines plane en route from London to Kuala Lumpur was forced to turn back an hour into the flight following problems with the aircraft’s toilet.
Flight Alerts, which provides information on commercial air transport, including emergencies and diversions, said in a tweet this morning that MH1 had made a U-turn in airspace above Belgium.
It added in an update that the return was due to there being no water in the aircraft’s lavatories.
It also said the Airbus A380 had jettisoned its fuel prior to descending at the Heathrow Airport in London.
The New Straits Times reported Malaysia Airlines as saying that the plane had returned an hour into the approximately 12-hour journey due to a problem with the “water supply system” on board.
It quoted the national carrier company as saying that engineers were on standby to rectify the problem as soon as the aircraft landed.
Malaysia Airlines said a new departure time would be determined later due to an airport curfew and flight duty period constraints, while affected passengers would be provided with accommodation in hotels near the airport.
“The airline apologises for the disruption to passengers’ travel plans and will assist with the re-booking of flights for passengers with onward connections from Kuala Lumpur,” it said.
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“The safety of the aircraft and passengers remain of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines.”