A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 has diverted to Frankfurt (FRA). The aircraft, registered 9V-SKQ, was operating a flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Singapore (SIN) when the incident took place.Around 20 minutes after departure on Thursday (24th November), the crew on flight SQ317 declared an emergency, which is believed to have been caused by an issue with the cabin pressurization system. The Airbus A380 subsequently descended to an altitude of 10,000ft and landed safely on Frankfurt Airport’s runway 25C approximately one hour later.The diversion can be seen clearly on Flightradar24.com:A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines said,

"SQ317 diverted to Frankfurt after take-off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed uneventfully at Frankfurt Airport at around 1400hrs (local time). Arrangements are currently being made to assist all customers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.”

The aircraft was fully loaded for the long flight to Singapore, and so prior to landing, it was forced to dump some fuel, as can be seen in these tweets:

There were 379 passengers and 27 crew members onboard the flight, who have been accommodated overnight in hotels in Frankfurt. It is not yet known if and when the aircraft is expected to continue to its destination or if passengers will be booked onto alternative services.

Singapore Airlines and the Airbus A380

Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, back in October 2007 and operated the type's first commercial flight to Sydney (SYD).

According to ch-aviation.com, the Airbus A380 operating flight SQ317, 9V-SKQ, joined the carrier in September 2008. The aircraft’s total capacity is 441 passengers, in a four-class configuration – 12 in first class, 60 in business class, 36 in premium economy, and 333 in economy.

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Flight SQ317

Singapore Airlines flight SQ317 is a daily service, departing London Heathrow at 10:55 and arriving in Singapore at 07:50 (+1 day). The average flight time is 12 hours 31 minutes.

The aircraft 9V-SKQ arrived at London Heathrow at 05:31 on 24th November, prior to its scheduled return to Singapore at 10:55. In the days leading up to the incident, it had also operated to Delhi (DEL) and New York (JFK).

This is not the first technical diversion from Singapore Airlines in recent months. In September, a flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Singapore diverted to Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) after a fuel leak was detected in one of the Boeing 777-300ER’s engines.

Have you experienced a diversion due to cabin pressurization issues? Did the aircraft need to dump fuel before landing? Share your experiences by commenting below.

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  Singapore Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  SQ/SIA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Singapore Changi Airport

  Year Founded:

  1972

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Goh Choon Phong

  Country:

  Singapore