PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 — The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has confirmed that Malaysia Airlines flight MH156, which was en route to Jeddah today, turned back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1.

CAAM chief executive officer Datuk Capten Norazman Mahmud, when contacted by Bernama, said the plane, carrying umrah pilgrims, was believed to have turned back due to technical issues.

"The airline has provided CAAM with a preliminary report. Detailed information about the incident will only be available once a full investigation is completed.

"It’s just precautionary; due to the technical issues, they decided not to continue (the flight),” he said.

Norazman also confirmed that all crew members and passengers on board were safe.

Earlier, the media reported that a Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 259 pilgrims from two agencies had made an air turnback to KLIA.

Flightaware.com data shows the plane departed from KLIA at 3.13 pm and landed safely at the airport at about 4.56 pm.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines confirmed in a statement that flight MH156 to Jeddah returned to Kuala Lumpur shortly after take-off due to a technical issue.

It said the aircraft safely landed at 4:56 pm, and all passengers have been accommodated at a hotel and rebooked on a new flight departing at 9 am tomorrow.

"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” it added. — Bernama