KUCHING: A passenger aircraft operated by Malindo Air bound for Kota Kinabalu was forced to divert and land at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) here today.
A State Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the aircraft from Kuala Lumpur was forced to divert to the wet spell in Kota Kinabalu, and that it lacked sufficient fuel to deal with the bad weather.
The spokesman said the department was informed that the aircraft, with 107 passengers onboard, landed safely in KIA at 5.38pm.
“The department despatched its men from the Tabuan Jaya and Batu Lintang stations to assist our team stationed at KIA to prepare for any situation.
“We were informed that the aircraft has safely landed and that there were no untoward incidents.
“The aircraft was heading to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur but had diverted and requested permission to land in KIA due to bad weather at the scheduled destination, and lack of fuel to deal with the situation,” said the spokesman.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd’s senior manager at KIA, Mohd Nadzim Hashim, when contacted, confirmed the case.
At press time, Nadzim said that the aircraft is still awaiting the nod from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport to resume its journey.
“At the moment, we have yet to be advised on when the aircraft will depart from KIA, pending clearance from Kota Kinabalu,” said Nadzim.