Malaysia Airlines flight forced to turn around after auto-pilot defect

Malaysia Airlines is still recovering from two major tragedies

A Malaysia Airlines flight had to return to Kuala Lumpur after suffering cabin pressure problems (Reuters)

A Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hyderabad in India was forced to turn around due to an auto-pilot defect.

Flight MH198 landed safely back in Malaysia’s capital this morning after circling for almost four hours to burn fuel in the air.

"The defect did not have any impact on the safety of the aircraft or passengers. However, as a precautionary measure, the operating captain decided to turn back," the national flag carrier said in a statement.

The flight has been rescheduled to depart Kuala Lumpur today.

Malaysia Airlines is still reeling from the loss of two Boeing 777-200s, including Flight MH370, which disappeared on 8 March with 239 people aboard.

The plane is believed to have veered off course and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but no trace of wreckage has been found.

Another flight, MH17, went down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing all 289 people aboard.

Additional reporting from AP