Shanghai Airlines flight to Bangkok returned less than an hour after takeoff, passengers said the cabin announcement indicated mechanical failure, airline booking software showed the return due to aircraft maintenance.

On the morning of May 1st, the international flight MU541 operated by China Eastern Airlines departing from Shanghai to Bangkok returned to Shanghai Pudong International Airport less than an hour after takeoff. The aircraft operating the flight is an Airbus A350-941 wide-body aircraft with registration number B308E and a age of 6.9 years, with a capacity of 288 seats. It offers cabins such as super economy class, economy class, business class, and first class. A passenger told reporters that the flight returned less than an hour after takeoff due to a mechanical problem, but she did not notice anything unusual during the flight and is waiting for further instructions on the next steps of the journey. Reporters tried to reach the China Eastern Airlines customer service hotline but were unable to speak with a representative. According to the China Eastern Airlines official booking app "China Eastern Airlines", the flight MU541 did indeed return. The flight's status page indicated that the flight returned due to aircraft maintenance.