A Scoot flight from Singapore to Melbourne was forced to turn back to Changi Airport 48 minutes into its flight as a result of a fault in its weather radar, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported on Jan. 9.

Delayed by about 7 hours

On Jan. 8, flight TR24 had departed Singapore at 11am, only to return to Changi at 12.49pm.

The flight was then re-scheduled for departure at 5pm the same day.

However, CNA added that the Boeing 787-8 departed for Melbourne once more at 6.07pm instead.

A spokesperson for Scoot quoted by CNA stated that the 268 passengers who were affected "were provided with meals while the issue was rectified".

The Straits Times (ST) reported that passengers on the return flight, TR25, were informed in advance of the delay via e-mail and SMS.

Latest hiccup in a string of delays over the past two months

Going by the incidents listed out on Milelion, a website that specialises in travel hacks, this delay would mark the eighth major delay that has hit Scoot over the past two months due to technical issues.

The other seven delays are:

• Nov. 9, 2018: TR734 from Singapore to Berlin, delayed 10 hours
• Nov. 21, 2018: TR18 from Singapore to Melbourne, delayed 8 hours
• Nov. 25 2018: TR616 from Bangkok to Singapore, delayed 7 hours
• Nov. 26, 2018: TR869 from Bangkok to Singapore, delayed 29 hours
• Dec. 18, 2018: TR713 from Athens to Singapore, delayed more than 2 days
• Dec. 30, 2018: TR899 from Taipei to Singapore, delayed almost 2 days
• Jan. 1, 2019: TR100 from Singapore to Guangzhou, delayed 14 hours

ST added that Scoot is among the airlines which have been affected by a series of engine issues plaguing the Rolls-Royce's Trent 1000, which powers the B-787s.

Poor communication

In the meantime, criticism has been raised over Scoot's handling of communication during such delays.

Milelion in particular, has called out the response time of Scoot on social media, highlighting how it is "measured in days, not minutes".

Milelion also criticised Scoot for its over-reliance on the "safety comes first" line, noting that "Safety is the bare minimum that people should expect from an airline" as passengers are looking "for a well-conceptualized and executed contingency plan" in such scenarios.

Of course, there are also those who claim this level of service from a low-cost carrier is to be expected.

Here's how the delay of the flight from Taipei to Singapore unfolded:

Top image from Scoot Facebook

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