M'sia Airlines flight to Bali turns back to KL shortly after taking off

A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia made a detour shortly after it took off on Sep. 11.

The flight had been bound for Denpasar in Bali.

According to Malaysia English-language newspaper The Star, MAS flight MH853, which is a Boeing 737 aircraft, had taken off at around 3:30pm.

It had reached an altitude of about 8,000ft and proceeded to circle over the Malacca Strait before landing at KLIA around 5pm.

The three-hour flight was originally estimated to land at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, in Bali at 6:30pm.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, it finally departed again from KLIA at 8:32pm.

What caused the plane to turn back has not been confirmed.

Top photo via Malaysia Airlines/Facebook