SIA flight en route from London to S’pore diverts to Turkey due to medical situation on board
Upon landing, the passenger requiring medical assistance was met by medical services and taken to hospital immediately.
On September 15, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight en route from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency diversion to Istanbul due to a medical situation on board. The flight, designated SQ305, was originally scheduled to depart from Heathrow Airport in London at 9:25am local time and arrive in Singapore that day. However, upon landing at Istanbul Airport at 5:07pm the same day, the airline's spokesperson stated that the passenger in need of medical assistance was immediately met by medical services and taken to a nearby hospital.
The exact nature of the medical situation was not disclosed by the spokesperson, citing confidentiality. According to FlightAware, the Airbus A350-900 carrying 197 passengers and 16 crew was flying over northeastern Turkey when it made the diversion to Istanbul, which is located in the northwest of the country.
In light of the crew exceeding their regulatory flight time limits, the flight was subsequently rescheduled to depart from Istanbul for Singapore on September 16 at 12:10pm local time. The airline provided necessary assistance to the affected passengers, which included arranging hotel accommodation and rebooking them on alternative flights. Typically, the non-stop flight from London to Singapore takes approximately 13 hours, according to SIA's website.
The flight was renumbered to SQ9391 and took off from Istanbul at 12:10pm local time, touching down at Changi Airport in Singapore at 3:33am on September 17. The spokesperson expressed sincere apologies to passengers for the inconvenience caused, emphasizing that the safety of both passengers and crew remains the airline's paramount concern.
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