Brisbane, Australia: An AirAsia X long‑haul international flight travelling from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to divert to Brisbane Airport late on Sunday night after the flight crew reported a cabin pressure anomaly.
AirAsia X Flight D7‑221 departed Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) at approximately 10:08 pm AEDT bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). The Airbus A330‑300, registered 9M‑XBG, was cruising at about 34,000 feet when the crew initiated a precautionary emergency descent and diversion to Brisbane, roughly two hours into the scheduled eight‑hour journey.
Flight tracking data confirms the aircraft broadcast an international “7700” emergency squawk the code pilots use to signal a general emergency and made a sharp turn back toward Queensland before descending to a lower cruise level.
According to AirAsia X, the crew observed an alert related to cabin pressure. While onboard systems indicated that pressurisation remained within safe limits, the captain elected to divert to the nearest major airport as a precautionary measure, in accordance with established safety protocols.
An airline spokesperson said the decision reflected a conservative approach to an unexpected technical alert and that the safety of passengers and crew remained the airline’s highest priority.
The aircraft landed safely in Brisbane shortly before midnight on Sunday without injury to passengers or crew reported. Aviation sources noted the controlled descent from cruising altitude to approximately 10,000 feet prior to touchdown.
There were 142 passengers and 11 crew members on board. Following the unscheduled stop, AirAsia X arranged hotel accommodation and food provisions for affected travellers while the aircraft underwent further technical assessment.
AirAsia X confirmed the aircraft remained on the ground in Brisbane while undergoing detailed engineering checks to identify the cause of the pressurisation alert before continuing to Kuala Lumpur.
