AirAsia Philippines confirmed in its statement that, due to technical issues, an AirAsia flight bound for Puerto Princesa made an emergency return to Manila on Thursday afternoon.

According to the airline, Flight Z2430 had departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Thursday afternoon at around 2:00 p.m. Following the discovery of a small technical issue by the flight crew, the pilot performed a "precautionary air return" during the flight.

Only fifteen minutes after taking off, at 2:15 p.m., the Airbus A320-216, registered RP-C8964, made a safe landing at NAIA Terminal 3.

According to a Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) advisory, AirAsia Z2430 flight was carrying 166 passengers and six crew members when the flight deck crew reported the problem at about 2:04 p.m. Following routine safety procedures, the pilot decided to return to Manila.

CAAP stated that all passengers and flight crew disembarked safely upon landing. AirAsia’s ground staff immediately attended to the affected passengers, providing refreshments and flight options in accordance with the Air Passenger Bill of Rights (APBR).

AirAsia PH Communications and Public Affairs Head First Officer Steve Dailisan stated that the safety of both passengers and crew is their top priority and has never been compromised.

The aircraft underwent a thorough maintenance check at NAIA following the incident, which is standard procedure for events of this nature.

On the same day, affected passengers were transferred to another Airbus A320 with registration RP-C8976. The replacement flight departed at 4:44 p.m., almost three hours after the original departure, and successfully arrived at Puerto Princesa International Airport at 5:41 p.m.

However, AirAsia PH has not disclosed the nature of the technical problem that caused the flight to return to Manila.