SINGAPORE, July 8 — A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight en route from Brisbane to Singapore was forced to divert to Perth early today after encountering a technical problem mid-flight.
According to The Straits Times, Flight SQ246 had taken off from Brisbane on the night of July 7 and was due to arrive at Singapore’s Changi Airport at around 5am the next morning.
However, flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the Airbus A350 turning away from its original path near Broome, heading south to Perth instead.
According to The West Australian, a Singapore Airlines spokesman said the aircraft experienced “technical issues while airborne”.
The plane landed safely in Perth at about 7am, and all 272 passengers and 15 crew members disembarked without incident.
The aircraft was grounded due to the need for a spare part and additional repair time, resulting in the cancellation of the original flight.
The spokesman also reportedly said that affected passengers were taken to a nearby hotel and scheduled to board a replacement flight, SQ9224, set to depart Perth at 3.15pm and land in Singapore at 8.40pm.
