A Malaysian Firefly flight from Subang Airport in Selangor to Seletar Airport in Singapore was forced to divert its course due to heavy rain and low visibility, The Straits Times reported on April 30.

Pilots are required to land their planes relying on just their vision due to the lack of the instrument-based landing procedures at Seletar Airport.

Malaysia previously objected to the introduction of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to Seletar Airport.

Safety first

The Firefly plane was diverted to Senai Airport in Johor instead, and arrangements were made to transport the passengers to Singapore by land.

A spokesperson for the Malaysian airline who spoke to ST confirmed the diversion and said safety was key.

The passengers who were waiting to fly to Subang on the return flight were diverted to a Malaysian Airlines flight at Changi Airport instead, with Changi Airport Group assisting in transportation.

Firefly requested ILS at Seletar Airport

Back in December 2018, Singapore announced that it would the introduce Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Seletar Airport, which was supposed to come into effect in January 2019.

This was to ensure the safety and efficiency of air traffic, and done at the request of Firefly itself.

But Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke was against this development.

Loke said the ILS would allegedly stunt development around the Pasir Gudang industrial district in Johor by imposing height restrictions on buildings and affecting port activities.

But Singapore's Ministry of Transport refuted this.

It said that the ILS procedures were in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines, existing bilateral agreements, and do not impact the development of Pasir Gudang.

In April 2019, then-Chief Minister Osman Sapian of Johor announced that the factories and industrial zone of Pasir Gudang might be relocated to different areas of the state.

Waiting for GPS to be introduced

On April 6, Loke and Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan released a joint statement that included the announcement that Singapore would withdraw the ILS from Seletar Airport.

This was done in the spirit of "bilateral cooperation."

During a joint press conference on April 8, according to CNA, it was announced that a GPS-based instrument approach would be introduced instead.

However, it will take some time for implementation.

With both ILS and GPS, a series of predetermined manoeuvres is flown under the guidance of instrument systems as an aircraft approaches an airport, ST reported.

Related stories:

Top image from Maafsebut Facebook page.