Flydubai flight forced to turn back after Boeing 737 Max 'technical issue'

Plane returned to Dubai airport shortly after take-off for Doha

A Boeing 737 Max plane was forced to return to Dubai 25 minutes into a flight due to a 'technical issue'. Photo: flydubai

A flydubai flight heading for Doha was forced to return to Dubai due to a "technical issue" on board the Boeing 737 Max plane.

The incident occurred on Sunday, with the passenger jet returning to Dubai about 25 minutes after take-off.

"Flydubai flight FZ017 from Dubai International to Hamad International Airport on April 7 returned to Dubai due to a technical issue," a representative for the airline said.

"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."

Boeing has been plagued by many high-profile problems including a near-catastrophic incident in January when a fuselage panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines blew off mid-flight.

The company has come under scrutiny from the US Federal Aviation Administration, airline customers and the public.

The incident led to a major shake-up of senior management at Boeing last month.

The chief executive of flydubai, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said he was confident those staffing changes would help fix the company's problems and improve service delivery standards.

“Flydubai continues to engage closely with the aircraft manufacturer,” Mr Al Ghaith told The National last month.

“We are confident that Boeing will take all necessary measures to further strengthen its plans to address current issues.

"Unwavering transparency, assuming responsibility and working closely with the regulatory authorities will see Boeing overcome these issues."

Flydubai, an all-Boeing fleet operator, ended last year with 84 planes, comprising 29 next-generation Boeing 737-800, 52 Boeing 737 Max 8, and three Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

At last year's Dubai Airshow, flydubai placed an $11 billion order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to be delivered from 2026, its first wide-body aircraft order.