Aviation.MY

Flights

We list notable flights to be featured in our page. Information is sourced from the experts in their field and we try to be as accurate as possible.

Notable Flights in Malaysia

Here, we list the notable flights in Malaysia. For accidents involving aircraft in the country, please refer to “Flight Incidents and Accidents in Malaysia” below.

First Commercial Flight

The first known regularly-scheduled commercial flight in Malaysia is the one operated by Wearne’s Air Service. The first flight was on 28 June 1937. The flight covers the route between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. It flies three times weekly.

Source: Malaysia Airlines – Wikipedia

First Boeing 737 Flight

Info coming soon

First Boeing 747 Flight

Info coming soon

First Boeing 777 Flight

On 2 April 1997, Malaysia Airlines’ first Boeing 777, nicknamed the “Super Ranger”, flew home from Boeing’s base in Seattle, Washington, USA. It broke the record of traveling by Great Circle Distance without landing. The flight is 12,455.34 statute miles (20,044.20 km) long.

Source: Boeing Press Release

Accidents in Malaysia

Historically, all aircraft incidents and accidents in Malaysia were investigated by the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

On 14 December 2011, the Malaysian Government has decided to establish the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The bureau reports directly to the Transport Minister, in line with the recommendations set by the ICAO.

  1. 5 September 1942 – Tanjung Datu, Bintulu Crash: Toshinari Maeda has died in a plane crash off Bintulu coast in Sarawak, Malaysia.
  2. 14 December 1947 – Tanjung Hantu Crash: Halim Perdanakusuma and Iswahyudi of Indonesian Air Force perished during their return flight from Thailand to pick up medical supplies. The aircraft involved is Avro Anson, manufactured by UK-based Avro.
  3. 6 June 1976 – Sabah Air “Double Six Crash”: 10 passengers and 1 crew lost their lives onboard when a Sabah Air aircraft spinned and crashed before landing at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI), Malaysia. The result of investigation report remains classified as of 2019, many years later after the accident.
  4. 27 September 1977 – Japan Airlines Flight 715: A McDonnell Douglas DC-8 (Reg. No JA 8051) has crashed while on approach to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang (KUL, now known as SZB). Of all 79 souls onboard, 34 have died, leaving behind 45 survivors.
  5. 4 December 1977 – Malaysia Airline Flight 653 (MH653): The passenger plane was initially hijacked but it eventually crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor. All lives onboard perished.
  6. 19 February 1989 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 66: A Boeing 747-249F crashed during descent to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang (KUL, now known as SZB).
  7. 15 September 1995 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133: A Fokker 59 aircraft, carrying 49 passengers and 4 crew members crashed during approach near Tawau Airport, Sabah, Malaysia. 34 people died and 19 survived the crash.
  8. 2 March 1997 – Helicopter Crash in Kuala Lipis, Pahang: Yahaya Ahmad, then-chairman of DRB-HICOM Malaysia was killed in a helicopter crash while visiting his ailing mother in Marang, Terengganu. The six-seater Agusta A109P crashed after a mid-air explosion.
  9. 6 September 1997 – Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 238: The flight crashed on approach to Miri Airport, killing all 8 passengers and 2 crew members onboard.
  10. 12 July 2004 – Ba’kelalan Helicopter Crash: A pilot was killed together with all seven passengers near Ba’kelalan, Sarawak [ source ].
  11. 8 March 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH 370): On March 8th 2014, the airplane vanished while it is on its way to Beijing, China. No major piece of wreckage has found. It is believed to be crashed at a remote location in Indian Ocean.
  12. 17 July 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH 17): The plane was hit by high-energy object, believed to be from surface-to-air weaponry while it is in Ukrainian airspace.
  13. 4 April 2015 – Semenyih Helicopter Crash: A Eurocopter AS365 has crashed in Semenyih, Malaysia. All six people onboard including former ambassador of Malaysia to United States, Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis as well as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Azlin Alias, were killed.
  14. 5 May 2016 – Sarawak Helicopter Crash: A helicopter carrying VIPs were reported missing at 5pm. All lives perished with the final victim recovered on 9 May 2016. Read more here.

Aviation Accidents Outside Malaysia

  1. 1 June 2009 – Air France Flight 447 (AF447): The airplane crash in the middle of Atlantic Sea is said to be the worst for Air France. Investigations later revealed human error to be the primary cause of crash.