flydubai Boeing 737 Max flight turns back due to 'technical issue'

A flydubai Boeing 737 Max flight to Doha was forced to return to Dubai International Airport (DXB) on Sunday, April 7, due to a technical issue, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed.

Flight FZ 017 landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked normally, the flydubai spokesperson said in a statement.

Passengers were put on a different aircraft to continue their journey to Doha.

The statement issued by flydubai, in full, said, "flydubai flight FZ 017 from Dubai International (DXB) to Hamad International Airport (DOH) on 07 April 2024 returned to Dubai due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked normally to the airport terminal. Passengers were accommodated on a different aircraft to continue their journey to Doha. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers’ travel schedules."

The incident occurred on the same day an engine cover on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off in Denver, in the US, and struck the wing flap, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open an investigation.

No-one was injured and Southwest Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8:15 a.m. local time (1415 GMT) and was towed to the gate.

The FAA is investigating several other recent engine issues on Southwest's fleet of Boeing planes.

Boeing has come under intense criticism since a door plug panel tore off a new Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet at 16,000 feet on January 5.

In the aftermath of that incident, the FAA grounded the Max 9 for several weeks, and ordered it to develop a comprehensive plan to address "systemic quality-control issues" within 90 days.