KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — AirAsia chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun has suggested there is nothing wrong with asking for divine intervention, after one of the budget airline’s pilot asked for passengers to pray amid mid-air panic.

The AirAsia X group chief executive said even he would do the same thing as the pilot of the aborted flight D7 237 from Australia.

"What is wrong with asking for prayers in whatever religion especially when you are in a tight position, seeking divine intervention while doing whatever humanely possible?” Kamarudin asked in a post on his Facebook page.

"He was calm and in control, and as a believer, he asked everyone to pray with him as he guided the plane to safety. I would have done the same thing,” he added.

Kamarudin’s response came following remarks by DAP member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who tweeted yesterday that AirAsia should not condone such actions by its pilots.

"Making statements is always easy when you are safely on the ground. Such a situation will never be easy to manage, but the objective was very clear... to land the aircraft safely and ensure the safety of all onboard,” he said.

Kamaruddin also praised the Airbus A330 pilot for being calm throughout the incident, saying that the public should be thankful that everyone onboard the flight was safe.

"As such, I stand by the pilot and his team as an individual and the management or shareholder of AirAsia,” saif Kamarudin.

On Sunday, the AirAsia flight with 359 passengers onboard was forced to return to Perth 90 minutes into the journey, after it suffered an engine problem that caused the aircraft to vibrate "like a washing machine”, according to passengers.

The plane landed safely and without casualties following the 90-minute return trip, although some passengers were reportedly traumatised by the experience.

According to Australia’s ABC news, one passenger claimed the pilot asked everyone to pray on the way back to Perth.

The incident is currently being separately investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and AirAsia together with Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engines used on the A330.