An AirAsia flight from Guangzhou, China to Johor Bahru, Malaysia turned back less than an hour after takeoff on Sep. 26.
A passenger on flight AK1395 said oxygen masks were deployed in the cabin and he could smell something burning.
via Flightradar24
Passenger recounts smelling smoke and feeling pain in his ears
Daniel Phoon shared on Facebook that he and his colleagues had been returning to Johor Bahru after finishing their work abroad.
Less than an hour into the flight, which took off at 3:14am, Phoon was just about to fall asleep when the oxygen masks were deployed.
He quickly woke his colleagues up so they could put on their masks.
Gif via Daniel Phoon/Facebook
Gif via Daniel Phoon/Facebook
Phoon described the flight attendant's voice as sounding "unstable" when she was making an in-flight announcement.
He also recounted feeling pain in his ears due to air pressure, as well as seeing smoke on the plane.
"I also smelled something burning," he said.
Phoon said passengers were not informed of what exactly happened perhaps to avoid causing panic.
"Thanks to the captain, we safely returned to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport," Phoon continued, adding that he was waiting for more information on their return flight to Malaysia and hoped everything would go smoothly.
Flightradar24 data showed the plane touched down in China after 5am.
AirAsia confirmed passengers safely landed in Johor Bahru on Sep. 27
AirAsia confirmed with Mothership that all passengers on flight AK1395 from Guangzhou to Johor Bahru safely landed in Johor Bahru at 6:35am on Sep. 27.
The airline said it conducted a precautionary air turnback as the aircraft, an Airbus A320, developed an ad-hoc technical fault related to air pressurisation supply on Sep. 26.
"The flight crew, adhering to all standard operating procedures, initiated the turnback," AirAsia said.
The airline added the captain deployed the onboard oxygen masks as a precautionary measure to prioritise passenger safety during descent.
The passengers were immediately transferred to a hotel to rest before departing on a new flight to Johor Bahru.
Top image via Daniel Phoon/Facebook