An AirAsia Airbus A320 made an emergency landing on 30 December at Langkawi, with passengers disembarking via three slides.
The aircraft was operating flight AK9327 for Kuala Lumpur, says the airline. It cites a “technical issue” for the turnback.
Media reports, citing a spokesman at Langkawi International Airport, say the aircraft turned back three minutes into the flight.
Video on social media shows passengers, carrying luggage, evacuating down the two forward slides as well as the left rear slide. It does not appear that the emergency exits located above the wings were opened, or the right rear door.
The video suggests a certain lack of urgency. Passengers remained relatively close to the aircraft after evacuating, and there are no signs of smoke or fire. A ground power unit is also visible near the aircraft’s forward landing gear.
A replacement flight was subsequently arranged to fly the passengers to Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia did not provide the number of passengers and crew, but reports suggest a total complement of 156.
Flight tracking sites suggest the aircraft involved bears registration 9M-AGU. Cirium fleets data shows that the CFM56-powered aircraft was delivered in December 2017.
