AIRASIA boss Tony Fernandes has paid tribute to the crew of AirAsia X flight D7237 for bringing back all their passengers, and themselves, back safely.

The AirAsia Group chief executive officer said in a Facebook post last night that he was “super proud” of his crew that was led by  “Captain Ibrahim”.

He slammed critics and the media for making “wild accusations” against his crew, especially the captain who had asked passengers to say a prayer after informing them of a technical problem.

“If it was a full service airline the pilot would have been a hero. But because it’s a low-cost carrier, press and so-called experts make wild accusations and forget the heroics of our crew. 

“I want to thank the many Australians, who have praised AirAsia for all we have done despite all the adverse press. Adelaide here we come.”

The 359 people on board the Perth-Kuala Lumpur flight on Sunday were 90 minutes into their journey, when the Airbus A330 “shaking like a washing machine”.

The low-cost carrier turned back to the Perth Airport, landing safely about three hours after its departure.

Fernandes said from the videos taken of the incident, and the emails and WhatsApp messages he had received, it was clear that the captain’s announcement had kept passengers calm.

He also praised first officer Vincent and Purser Ruijaruuneglai, who did a “superb heroic job bringing back everyone safely”. 

“AirAsia doesn’t make engines and all airlines have engine failures. But when it does happen, it takes great pilots and great leadership in times of crisis. I’m beaming with pride,” he said.

The pilot had come under fire after media reports highlighted that he had asked passengers to say a prayer.

Western Australia Today quoted passenger Sophie Nicholas as saying: “He (the flight captain) said: ‘I hope you all say a prayer; I will be saying a prayer too and let’s hope we all get back home safely.”

The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that the pilot would be questioned as part of an Australian investigation.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will review whether emergency procedures were properly followed by the pilot as part of its broader investigation into the incident. – June 28, 2017.