January 11, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Budget carrier AirAsia said Tuesday that one of its Airbus A320 jets carrying 123 passengers skidded off a runway in the Malaysian city of Kuching and came to rest in a muddy field.
The carrier said that nobody was injured in the incident which occurred late Monday while the plane was landing in rainy conditions in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak state on Borneo island.
"The aircraft veered off the runway in Kuching International Airport," AirAsia said in a statement, adding that "the captain managed to bring the aircraft to a safe stop."
Subsequent flights to and from Kuching have been disrupted due to the temporary closure of the runway.
AirAsia said it will carry out a full investigation together with the Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia's aviation watchdog.
