Plane deploys evacuation slides after emergency landing

Some passengers were pictured carrying hand luggage

An AirAsia flight was forced to make an emergency landing at its departure airport minutes after take-off, where it deployed the evacuation slides.

Flight AK9327 was flying from Langkawi International Airport to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when the incident occurred.

The flight, which had 156 passengers and crew onboard, departed normally but returned to Langkawi airport due to a technical issue.

Fire engines met the plane on the airport tarmac, reports local media.

Footage from the incident shows the Airbus A320 aircraft on the tarmac, with passengers bouncing down the emergency evacuation slides.

The video shows some passengers evacuating the plane carrying their hand luggage, which airlines advise against in the case of an emergency.

All passengers were safely evacuated and the flight was rescheduled for later that afternoon. According to flight data tracking site Flight Radar 24, flight AK9327 landed in Kuala Lumpur more than eight hours late.

In a statement, the no-frills carrier said: “A replacement flight to Kuala Lumpur is being arranged and is scheduled to depart Langkawi at 4.45pm. Affected guests will be updated on its status and progress from time to time.

“The safety of our guests is our utmost priority and we strive to provide as much assistance as possible in these circumstances.”