PUBLISHED ONUPDATEDBYSean LerA Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight bound for Changi Airport was diverted to Rockhampton Airport in the Australian state of Queensland on Wednesday (Nov 11) after smoke was detected in the cabin.
Flight SQ236 was scheduled to depart Brisbane International Airport at 2.35pm and would have landed back in Singapore at about 8.25pm.
Data from flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 showed that the Airbus A350-900 left the gate at around 2.32pm, eventually taking off at roughly 3.01pm.
It then reached its cruising altitude of approximately 36,000ft at about 3.29pm.
At about 3.49pm, the flight started to make a right turn and began descending towards Rockhampton Airport, landing "uneventfully" at around 4.09pm.
No injuries were reported in the incident and all passengers disembarked normally.
A passenger on board the flight, surnamed Lim, took to X to share a flight update from the airline.
"Please be advised that SQ236, which departed on Nov 11 at 2.32pm from Brisbane bound for Singapore, has been diverted to Rockhampton due to a technical issue affecting the aircraft's safety monitoring systems."
Other passengers reported seeing smoke at the aft, or rear part of the plane's cabin, with some claiming that in-flight entertainment screens "suddenly went blank".
A Central Queensland plane spotting group shared photographs showing the aircraft, bearing the registration 9V-SHA, at an apron with at least five vehicles from emergency services near the plane.
The photographs also show passengers existing the plane and walking on the tarmac with their carry on luggage.
A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the cause of the smoke is under investigation.
The airline also apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused.
“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 added.
Checks by AsiaOne on Changi Airport's arrivals page, FlightRadar24 and FlightAware indicate that another aircraft (9V-SHJ) was later positioned to complete the flight, landing back in Singapore at 5.38am.
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