A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight, originally set to fly from Changi Airport to Manchester in the UK, was reportedly diverted to London's Gatwick Airport twice because of heavy snow.
Severe weather had forced some airports in northern England to temporarily close their runways on Sunday (Jan 5), delaying dozens of flights, reported Reuters.
SIA flight SQ52 departed from Changi Airport at 2.13am local time and was scheduled to arrive in Manchester at 9.25am UK time on Sunday (Jan 5).
However, the flight landed at Gatwick Airport at 9.48am instead, according to SIA's website.
The plane then took off from Gatwick an hour later but circled over the Peak District, which is a national park in central-northern England, for around 45 minutes before returning to London, reported the Manchester Evening News.
The flight eventually managed to continue its journey and landed in Manchester at 7:11pm UK time, nearly 10 hours later than originally scheduled, according to SIA's website.
The plane was also scheduled to continue to Houston, Texas, after a 1.5-hour layover in Manchester, but will instead depart at 4pm UK time on Monday (Jan 6).
This means that passengers travelling to Houston will be travelling for a total of 34 hours.
SIA apologises
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a SIA spokesperson said that flight SQ52, operating from Singapore to Houston (via Manchester) on Jan 4, diverted to London Gatwick Airport due to adverse weather conditions in Manchester.
Although the plane subsequently departed at 11.12pm local time on Sunday, it returned to London Gatwick once more due to operational constraints at Manchester Airport, the spokesperson said.
The airline added that they are providing all necessary assistance to the affected passengers, including providing hotel accommodation and the rebooking of connecting flights.
"SIA sincerely apologises to all affected passengers for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority," said the spokesperson.
A passenger who had been on the flight with his family took to social media to share his experience with the airline and requested for an explanation.
In a post on X on Monday, the man claimed that after a 10 hour wait, passengers were promised accommodation in the Piccadilly Marriott with "all food and drinks covered including dinner, tea, breakfast, and lunch".
"Instead, my family and one other family were placed in the Hotel Mercure, where we were informed the only food available was their limited buffet (which my wife can’t eat), limited soft drinks, and no lunch," he said.
The passenger added that although they were told to look out for a SIA representative at the hotel to obtain information about their return flight and transportation to the airport, the staff was nowhere to be found.
"I’d like to get in touch to somehow resolve this and make sure we receive what we were promised by the representative at the airport. Thanks," he wrote, addressing SIA.
The airline's official X account responded to the passenger's post shortly afterwards, offering its apologies for the inconvenience caused.
"If you require any assistance, please kindly reach out to your local SIA office as they are best placed to assist," it said, adding that he could access a flight disruption statement from their website for insurance purposes.
The runways at Manchester Airport were closed for about 3.5 hours on Jan 5 due to the weather, resulting in several flights being rerouted to other cities, including Paris, Dublin, and Glasgow. Some flights were even delayed until the runways were cleared, reported the Manchester Evening News.
Although the runways reopened later in the day, the airport faced another temporary closure the next day between 6.30am and 7.15am due to continued snow and ice, it said in a post on X.
ℹ️ 06.01.25 | 6:30am
— Manchester Airport (@manairport) January 6, 2025
Information for passengers due to travel from @manairport. pic.twitter.com/IemMDAdH0W
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com