PUBLISHED ONOctober 29, 2025 1:55 PMBYSean LerA Singapore Airlines (SIA) Cargo Boeing 747-400 flight from Singapore to Guangzhou, China, encountered a technical issue on Wednesday (Oct 29) and returned to Changi Airport.
According to flight tracking platform FlightAware, SQ7824 took off at around 4.20pm.
About 45 minutes into the flight — which was then south of Vietnam, over the South China Sea — SQ7824 started to descend from about 39,000 ft to 20,000 ft over a 20-minute period.
The plane then turned around and headed for Changi Airport while squawking 7700.
The code is a universal transponder code indicating a general aviation emergency.
SQ7824 / SIA7824 / B744 (9V-SFK) has squawked 7700. Track: https://t.co/clCezab0v2 Photo: https://t.co/bTT0qSYRbM #Squawk7700
— SquawkAlert (@SquawkAlert) October 29, 2025
An aircraft squawking 7700 will receive immediate assistance and priority handling.
In a media reply seen by AsiaOne, SIA said that SQ7824 turned back due to a "technical issue".
The national carrier did not elaborate on the issue which forced the aircraft back.
Earlier on Oct 29, a Singapore-bound SIA flight SQ228 also faced a technical issue and was forced to return to Melbourne. The flight landed safely.
[[nid:724620]]
