Malaysia Airlines said one of its flights to Bangkok had to make a U-turn back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport after experiencing a “pressurisation issue”.

It said the pilots initiated an emergency descent although cabin altitude was not exceeded and passenger oxygen masks were not deployed.

The aircraft remained stable and landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, just over two hours after it departed, the airline said.

A Malaysia Airlines spokesperson said flight MH780 was carrying 164 passengers and 12 crew members, adding that an investigation is ongoing.