Thousands of air travellers flying in and out of Changi Airport will be affected by Singapore's decision to suspend Boeing 737 Max operations but no major disruptions are expected.
While there will be some flight cancellations, affected airlines said the first option is to switch planes to minimise inconvenience to their customers.
With effect from 2pm yesterday, airlines are no longer allowed to fly the B-737 Max jet into and out of Singapore, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said.
The temporary ban follows the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday and that of a Lion Air flight last October - both operated with the B-737 Max 8.
CAAS' decision affects Singapore Airlines' (SIA) regional arm SilkAir, as well as China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Shandong Airlines and Thai Lion Air, which have been flying the aircraft to Singapore.
The Singapore carrier currently operates the aircraft to Bengaluru, Cairns, Chongqing, Darwin, Hiroshima, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket and Wuhan.
In a social media update yesterday, SilkAir told travellers that on some of the affected routes, arrangements will be made to replace flights previously operated using the B-737 Max 8 with another aircraft type.
In a social media update yesterday, SilkAir told travellers that on some of the affected routes, arrangements will be made to replace flights previously operated using the B-737 Max 8 with another aircraft type. Where flights are cancelled, SIA will mount supplementary services to accommodate SilkAir travellers.
Where flights are cancelled, SIA will mount supplementary services to accommodate SilkAir travellers.
As a result of the adjustments, three Singapore-Kuala Lumpur SilkAir services will be cancelled today, while SIA will operate a supplementary flight to the Malaysian capital city.
Information on other flight changes will be progressively updated, SilkAir said, adding that it is in close communication with the CAAS and Changi Airport Group to manage the effects of flight disruptions. Customers affected will be contacted for reaccommodation.
At Changi Airport yesterday, it was business as usual at SilkAir check-in counters, with most travellers saying they were not affected by the latest developments.
Mr Prashant Singh, 25, an engineering consultant who was travelling to Hyderabad - one of the affected destinations - was not aware that his plane had been switched.
He was thankful, though, that the airline was adopting a "safety-first" stance.
The decision will affect Singapore Airlines' regional arm, SilkAir, which has six B-737 Max 8 jets in its fleet.
However, his travelling companion had a different view.
Operations manager Kailash Kumar, 25, wondered if it was necessary to ground the B-737 Max 8, especially since the cause of the crash has not been established.
In Indonesia, Garuda and Lion Air, which have also grounded their B-737 Max 8 jets, said they do not expect their customers to be adversely affected either.
Lion Air spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro told The Straits Times that none of the airline's flights has been disrupted.
The budget carrier has 10 B-737 Max 8 aircraft, out of a total fleet of 122 planes.
He said: "We're making the best effort to minimise the impact of the grounding."
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
