KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — A Malaysia Airlines flight from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur made an emergency landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) this evening after declaring an emergency.

Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) chief executive officer Captain Datuk Norazman Mahmud confirmed the incident.

He said the Boeing 737-800 aircraft’s distress call was received at 6.02pm.

“We accommodated the aircraft by allowing it to land as soon as possible.

“MH720 safely landed on KLIA’s Runway 32R at 6.17pm,” he told the New Straits Times.

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported on its Facebook page that MH720 was squawking 7700 south of Kuala Lumpur, indicating a general emergency.

Squawking 7700 is typically used for situations such as engine failure, medical emergencies, low fuel, bird strikes, airframe damage, severe icing, fires, flight control issues or depressurisation.

Checks on FlightRadar24 showed that at least three Airport Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) vehicles met the aircraft after it exited the runway.

The emergency response vehicles escorted the plane to a parking bay at the airport.

Norazman did not disclose the nature of the emergency, and Malaysia Airlines has yet to provide further details.