Two SIA flights, one from Melbourne and the other to Guangzhou, turn back and land safely with no injuries reported
Two Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights — one passenger service from Melbourne, Australia and another cargo flight heading to Guangzhou, China — were forced to turn back mid-air on Wednesday (29 Oct).
Both incidents were due to technical issues, with no injuries reported after the aircraft landed safely.
Source: Singapore Airlines on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.
SIA flight from Melbourne returns shortly after take-off
Flight SQ228, a Boeing 777, was bound for Singapore from Melbourne when it experienced a technical issue “shortly after take-off”, an SIA spokesperson told MS News, adding:
As the aircraft had to turn back shortly after take-off, the pilots had to dump the fuel in order to land within the landing weight.
The plane carrying 219 passengers and 17 crew members landed “uneventfully” at 5.47pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (2.47pm Singapore time), SIA noted.
This was more than an hour after it departed at 4.35pm.
The affected passengers disembarked normally and were provided with meal vouchers while ground engineers worked to resolve the issue.
SIA apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused, saying their safety and that of the crew “is always our top priority”.
Witnesses saw plane flying low over Melbourne suburbs
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the aircraft circled north of the city before returning to the airport.
Source: FlightAware
Residents in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs reported seeing the plane flying unusually low.
“It was so low, you could see wheels down, and I just waved at all the passengers,” a caller named Sam told local radio station 3AW, Aviation A2Z reported.
Another caller, Gordon, said that the plane seemed to be dumping fuel while turning back to the airport.
Source: All Areas Chauffeur Services on Facebook
According to Aviation A2Z, the plane released the fuel “roughly 2km above residential areas in Melbourne’s outer suburbs“.
Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft flying with white smoky trails near its wings.
Source: All Areas Chauffeur Services on Facebook
According to Australia’s 7NEWS, the altitude it was at allowed the fuel to evaporate safely.
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said “the plane landed under normal conditions… before taxiing safely to the gate”.
SIA Cargo flight to Guangzhou turns back near Vietnam
Later that same day, an SIA Cargo flight from Singapore to Guangzhou also turned back in mid-air.
SQ7824, a Boeing 747, departed from Changi Airport at 4.19pm, according to FlightAware.
However, about an hour after take-off, the crew declared a “squawk 7700” — a standard signal for in-flight emergencies, reported aviation news site Air Live.
The aircraft then turned around near Vietnam and landed safely back at Changi at 6.45pm.
Source: FlightAware
Aircraft turned back due to technical issue: SIA
An SIA spokesperson confirmed the incident in a media statement to MS News, saying “the aircraft turned back due to a technical issue”.
It did not elaborate on the nature of the issue.
SIA did not specify whether the two incidents were related.
Also read: Singapore Airlines flight makes emergency landing after passenger falls ill due to food allergy
Singapore Airlines flight makes emergency landing after passenger falls ill due to food allergy
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Featured image adapted from FlightAware, All Areas Chauffeur Services on Facebook and FlightAware.
