AirAsia X flight D7237: Passenger defends pilot

Madeline Wright, 15 said they should be praised and not blamed for the incident.

Wright who had a firsthand account of the Perth to Kuala Lumpur flight, posted on her Facebook account that the pilot and crew had done their best to keep all 359 passengers safe and calm during the incident.

“It disgusts me that people are criticising our captain for telling us to pray and are trying to get him fired,” she wrote.

“The full context was, “Everything is under control in the cockpit. If you want to say a prayer, that might help too.”

She said the call was said in a way that comforted them.

“He was professional. He was human. He was a reassuring voice during this event and gave us hope, he is the reason I am still alive and I cannot thank him enough.”

Wright who was travelling to Vietnam on a family holiday, stressed that the public should not put the blame on AirAsia’s low fare and that technical problems happen all the time even on expensive flights.

“A technical problem like this could happen on any place and cheaper flights are not to blame.”

"The aircraft was checked thoroughly before departure like all planes are and was regulated by the same air safety organisations. People should not be criticising AirAsia for missing anything – technical problems happen all the time, even on more expensive flights," she added.

After the plane successfully landed in Perth Airport, Wright said the passengers were tolerant and patient during the three-hour wait as the airline did its best to make them as comfortable as possible with food and water vouchers.

Yesterday, AirAsia X Group chief executibe officer Datuk Kamarudin Meranun hit back at DAP’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim for criticising the pilot of AirAsia X flight D7237 who had urged the passengers to pray during the incident, in a series of Twitter postings.

READ: 'What's wrong in asking for prayers?' - AirAsia chairman hits back at Zaid

Wright’s post has since reaped 42,000 likes and 14,216 shares on Facebook.

Following the incident, AirAsia X said it is investigating the incident.

“We are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident together with our engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce.”