Over the years, there have been numerous alarming and fascinating flight-related stories worldwide – from bomb threats and severe weather, to medical emergencies and even incidents involving explosive diarrhoea. However (and thankfully), there’ve been hardly any concerning stories related to any of our airports.
That is, until visitors at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) spotted thick smoke billowing from an aircraft, recently. Was it the engine? Was there an explosive on board? Here’s what happened:
Yesterday morning (Thursday, 10th July), a video began circulating on social media showing dense smoke coming from the rear section of an unspecified aircraft at KLIA Terminal 1. The incident reportedly occurred at around 9:50am and understandably sparked safety concerns among visitors and passengers at the airport. According to reports, engineers from the airline involved took immediate action to address the situation.
It is believed that the aircraft experienced an issue with its Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) – a small engine that provides electrical and pneumatic (pressurised air) power to the aircraft while the main engines are being started or shut down. Sin Chew Daily reported that no emergency calls or reports were made to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department during the time of the incident.
Assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar confirmed that the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department only learned about the incident after the video of it went viral. Thankfully, there have been no injuries reported. At the time of writing, there have been no updates or statements issued by local authorities or Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) regarding the incident. Let’s hope that they’ll address the situation soon, or passengers might end up cancelling their flights after seeing the distressing video.
Watch the viral clip below:
Sources: TheStar, NST, SinChew Daily
