KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — A Malaysian Airlines flight was forced to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) tonight after experiencing pressurisation issues while en route to Bangkok.

In a brief statement, Malaysian Airlines said the operating pilots of MH780 initiated an emergency descent although cabin altitude was not exceeded.

"Malaysia Airlines flight MH780 on June 24, 2024, experienced a pressurisation issue while en route to Bangkok after departing Kuala Lumpur at 5:59pm.

"The operating pilots initiated an emergency descent although cabin altitude was not exceeded and passenger oxygen masks were not deployed,” it said.

The Airbus A330-200 remained stable and safely landed back at KLIA at 8:18pm.

"Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines,” it said.

According to AviationSource News, a United Kingdom-based aviation news portal, the aircraft had climbed to FL400 (40,000 feet/12,192 metres) for the northerly service to Bangkok, before declaring the emergency whilst still transiting the Malaysian peninsula.