Singapore Airlines flight SQ236 diverted to Rockhampton due to cabin smoke, Digi Mart USA News (Brisbane, Australia): A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight bound for Singapore from Brisbane was diverted to Rockhampton on Nov 11 after smoke was detected in the cabin, according to The Straits Times.
Flight SQ236 was scheduled to depart Brisbane International Airport at 2.35pm local time and arrive at Changi Airport at 8.25pm that day, according to the SIA website’s flight status tracker. However, it departed Brisbane at 2.32pm local time and landed “uneventfully” at Rockhampton Airport in Queensland at 4.09pm local time the same day, an SIA spokesperson said.
“All customers disembarked normally,” the spokesperson added.
The affected plane was an Airbus A350-900 jet, according to data from aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24. Social media posts showed local fire, police and ambulance services on site while passengers were seen exiting the aircraft and walking across the tarmac with their belongings.
The cause of the smoke is under investigation.
According to a message from SIA to affected passengers, posted on X by a passenger, the diversion was due to a technical issue affecting the aircraft’s safety monitoring systems. Passenger Lim Kai Yang, 21, told The Straits Times that he realized something was amiss when cabin crew began opening and checking the overhead bins.
“I assumed they were checking for a powerbank fire in the cabin, which was not the case,” said Lim, a full-time national serviceman.
Lim, who was traveling alone, said he saw faint smoke while seated in business class and heard from other passengers that it was coming from the rear. The pilots then informed passengers of a technical issue, leading to the shutdown of in-flight entertainment and electricity, he said.
A diversion was announced shortly afterward, and passengers were told to remain in their seats.
As of 6.45pm on Nov 11, Lim was still at Rockhampton Airport awaiting the rescheduled flight after being provided a light dinner, he said. In an updated SIA advisory he showed The Straits Times, a recovery flight to Singapore was slated to arrive in Rockhampton at around 10pm local time.
The advisory warned, however, that bad weather in Brisbane may affect flight timings.
According to the SIA flight status website, a rerouted flight was scheduled to depart Rockhampton Airport at around midnight local time and was estimated to land at Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 5.05am on Nov 12. The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused to affected passengers.
“We are providing our customers with all necessary assistance, including on-ground refreshments, arranging for a relief flight, and rebooking onward travel where necessary,” the SIA spokesperson said.
