Malaysia Airlines pilot queries flight path

It is the country’s first Islamic airline, offering flights that adhere to Islamic rules, including prayers, no serving of alcohol or meals with pork, and a strict dress code for Muslim female flight attendants.

Only eight minutes off the ground, the pilot of the direct flight to Kuala Lumpur on Friday questioned the direction the plane was headed – which was taking the flight further south than he had planned.

He then steered the plane across the Tasman Sea and began heading northwest to the Malaysian capital.

An Airways spokesperson said air traffic controllers were working from the flight plan Malaysia Airlines had filed with them, which turned out to differ from the plan given to the pilot.

Although there were no apparent safety concerns with the confusion, Airways yesterday confirmed it was investigating.

NZ Herald reported that Airways would be probing into the matter.

The cabin crew of Rayani Air, the first Islamic-compliant airline in Malaysia, posing for a photograph in front of a Boeing 737-400 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, in Sepang, Malaysia.

More recently flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile over Ukraine in July.

New Zealand aviation commentator Peter Clark praised the pilot for his actions.

“The pilot has done a very good job by noticing it, querying it and not just blindly flying off and ending up in the Southern Ocean”, he told the daily.

The airline did not respond to requests for comment.

The spokeswoman said the new route was in fact an established flight plan to Kuala Lumpur – but not the one the pilot had planned to follow.