A Singapore Airlines flight bound for Singapore was compelled to return to Melbourne Airport following a technical malfunction shortly after takeoff on Tuesday afternoon. Flight SQ228 departed at 4.51pm before circling north of Melbourne and heading back to the tarmac, with concerned residents reporting the aircraft flying unusually low over the eastern suburbs.
“It just flew over our house a few minutes ago. It was so low, you could see wheels down, and I just waved at all the passengers as they went overhead,” 3AW caller Sam said.
“I’ve never seen a plane that low before. It was scary.”
Video footage captured the aircraft apparently dumping fuel during its return journey. Kinglake resident Gordon observed the unusual manoeuvre, telling 3AW: “We saw it do a turn really low and I looked it up, it was at 6900 feet dumping fuel and yeah, redirecting back to Melbourne.”
The aircraft touched down safely at approximately 5.50pm without incident. Singapore Airlines confirmed the diversion was due to a technical issue.
Meanwhile, a Virgin Australia service encountered difficulties landing at Sydney Airport after departing Brisbane at 7.44am. Flight VA916, scheduled to arrive at 9.40am, circled Sydney’s coastline for nearly an hour following two unsuccessful landing attempts.
FlightRadar data revealed the plane performed two “go arounds” before finally landing at 10.45am.
Virgin Australia attributed the first aborted approach to heavy rain and low cloud coverage, while the second was caused by a technical problem with the left wing.
Emergency services attended as a precaution, with firefighters positioned on the tarmac.
The aircraft landed safely with all passengers safe and well.
Both airlines confirmed that passenger safety was prioritised throughout both incidents.
