AirAsia flight to Shenzhen, China has to make emergency landing back at KL after engine fire

An AirAsia flight bound for Shenzhen, China, returned to Kuala Lumpur shortly after take-off on Wednesday night (Mar. 26) due to an engine fire.

Flight AK128 departed Kuala Lumpur for Shenzhen at 9:59pm carrying 171 passengers and crew, Malaysian media Bernama and Malaysiakini reported.

Shortly after, the Airbus A320-216 aircraft sustained a pneumatic ducting burst.

A pneumatic ducting is a channeling system used on aircraft to transport air and other gases.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Team assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar said that they were alerted about the emergency landing at 10:37pm before dispatching a team of firefighters to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2).

Ahmad Mukhlis said that the fire was contained by the aircraft's Halon fire suppression system before landing safely at KLIA 2 at 12:08am.

Penerbangan Air Asia AK128 dalam perjalanan ke Shenzhen, China terpaksa berpatah balik ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur 2 (KLIA 2) sejurus berlepas malam tadi (26 Mac), kerana dilaporkan berlaku kebakaran enjin di sebelah kanan pesawat.

Pesawat yang berlepas pada… pic.twitter.com/euArdnGOed

— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) March 27, 2025

Firefighters assisted in evacuating passengers and carried out checks to ensure there were no more fire hazards.

No injuries were reported.

Top image via AirAsia