Flight Alerts tweeted about MH1’s technical issue.
KUCHING: A Malaysia Airlines flight from London to Kuala Lumpur returned to Heathrow Airport three hours after departure, following a technical issue with its lavatories.
According to Flight Alerts on Twitter, there was no water in the lavatories on board, forcing the plane to return.
A passenger on board said the flight returned to the airport and the passengers were kept on board while they were informed of technical issues.
After about half hour, the passengers were told that the flight has been grounded and the passengers would disembark.
“We have collected our luggages and would go to an airport hotel. There is no confirmation when the flight would be out, but Malaysia Airline airport ground staff said most likely 12 hours meaning we would fly out in the afternoon London time (midnight Malaysia time),” the passenger told The Borneo Post.
It was soon learnt that the passengers will be put up in four hotels at the Heathrow Airport, with the flight is scheduled to take off in the afternoon (London time, Saturday night in Malaysia).
When asked about the lavatory issue, the passenger said, “There was no water at all, and it is a full flight, double decker. Must be more than 500 passengers. With the 13 hours flight, the plane will stink when it reaches Kuala Lumpur.”
Among those passengers affected are seven Sarawakian Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members and two ex-officio members, who attended the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies Fifth Annual Public Accounts Committee Symposium at the Strand Palace Hotel in London.