Pilot tells passengers to pray as plane shakes violently after take-off

If you’re squeamish about flying, you might want to look away now.

An AirAsia X plane bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was forced to turn back to the Australian city of Perth on Sunday after what was described by the airline as a technical issue. According to ABC News, passengers were told by the pilot of the plane to say a prayer as it shook violently while in the air, as can be seen in the footage below, recorded by a passenger on board. https://www.instagram.com/p/BVv9kMug7Fq/ Flight D7237 left Perth Airport at 6.50am on Sunday morning with nearly 400 passengers on board. Pilots were forced to divert the flight back to Perth, landing at 10am. A replacement plane flew stranded passengers to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night. Commenting on what it was like on board the flight, a passenger told ABC News:

“It was literally like you were sitting on top of a washing machine. The whole thing was going. We could see the engine out the window which was really shaking on the wing.”

Air Asia released a statement on Monday morning, which read:

“The safety of our guests and crew is of utmost importance to us. We are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident, together with our engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. We are also cooperating fully with the local aviation authorities. “We would like to stress that AirAsia Group has always strictly followed the maintenance programme subscribed by our manufacturers. We have also complied with all regulations and requirements as set forth by every country where the airline operates, including Australia. “In Australia, AirAsia Group has also regularly passed safety and security audits conducted by the local aviation authorities. “AirAsia Group has also initiated the process of undergoing voluntary IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) auditing for all airlines in the group, AirAsia X Malaysia, AirAsia X Indonesia and AirAsia Indonesia, with AirAsia X Malaysia receiving two IOSA audit certificates in 2015 and 2016. “AirAsia remains committed to meeting all safety and security requirements in all the countries that we operate in.”

https://twitter.com/AirAsia/status/879253462063632385