Chris Jeanes proposed to his girlfriend in mid-air as their plane started hurtling towards the ground.

The London-based lawyer had planned to pop the question in Bali, when the AirAsia plane fell 24,000 feet in just nine minutes, prompting oxygen masks to drop.

As other passengers assumed the brace position, Jeanes decided to ask his partner, Casey Kinchella, to marry him there and then.

“Luckily she said yes,” Jeanes told NBC News.

“We both reconfirmed with each other when we were on the ground.”

The couple were flying from Perth to Bali, a route which typically takes just under four hours.

However, 25 minutes into the flight, a “technical issue” caused the pilot to turn back to the Western Australia capital.

Suddenly, the plane started plunging towards the ground and lost cabin pressure.

Terrifying video footage shows the extent at which the Airbus A320 was shaking as it fell, leaving passengers fearing for their lives.

Thankfully, the captain was able to land the plane safely an hour later, leaving the young couple to enjoy their engagement in Bali.

“We commend our pilots for landing the aircraft safely and complying with standard operating procedure,” said Captain Ling Liong Tien, AirAsia Group's head of safety.

“We are fully committed to the safety of our guests and crew and we will continue to ensure that we adhere to the highest safety standards."