Scoot flight to Bali returns to Changi after smell of smoke detected in cabin

SINGAPORE - A Scoot flight bound for Bali from Singapore turned back to Changi Airport minutes into its ascent after the smell of smoke was detected in the cabin on April 30.

Flight TR280 left for Bali at 7.33am and landed back in Singapore at about 8.27am “as a precaution”, Scoot said in response to queries from The Straits Times.

The budget airline did not answer queries on the cause of the issue or the number of passengers affected.

According to data from flight tracking site FlightAware, the aircraft was a Boeing 787.

The routine flight was originally scheduled to leave Singapore at 7.50am and reach Bali around 10am, according to FlightAware.

Passengers were given compensatory meal vouchers and a different plane was deployed to fly them to Bali, said Scoot. It departed from Changi at 12.40pm and landed in Denpasar shortly after 3pm.

A spokesman for the carrier said: “Scoot sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority, and we will continue to provide assistance to affected customers where necessary.”

In May 2023, a Scoot flight bound for Singapore from Bangkok was forced to return to the Thai capital after a technical fault.

Pictures of the incident showed smoke in the cabin of flight TR605, which the airline said was water vapour from air-conditioning and unrelated to the fault.

There were 230 passengers and eight crew members on board the aircraft.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that smoke was detected in the cabin. It should be the smell of smoke was detected. We are sorry for the error.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.