SIA flight to Frankfurt delayed after catering truck 'made contact' with engine at Changi Airport

A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight to Frankfurt, Germany, was delayed for over one and a half hours on Apr. 22, after a catering truck "made contact with" one of the aircraft's engines at Changi Airport.

The flight, SQ325, had been scheduled to depart from Singapore at 12:35pm that Wednesday.

Catering truck made contact with plane engine

In response to Mothership's queries, the incident occurred before boarding, when a catering truck "made contact" with the Airbus A380's engine, necessitating repairs and a change of aircraft.

No passengers were on board at the time, and no injuries were reported.

The airline did not identify the truck's operator or disclose the extent of the damage.

The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial passenger aircraft, is powered by four engines.

Passengers were offered refreshments while awaiting the replacement aircraft.

Return flight cancelled

The return flight, SQ326, operating from Frankfurt to Singapore later that day, was subsequently cancelled, SIA told ST, citing the late arrival of the inbound aircraft and Frankfurt Airport's operating curfew.

The German hub operates between 5am and 11pm local time, with no scheduled take-offs or landings permitted outside those hours, according to the airport's website.

Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 had shown that the same aircraft was rostered for both flights.

According to The Straits Times, the turnaround process for long-haul flights, which includes offloading passengers, cleaning, refuelling, catering and boarding, typically requires between 90 minutes and over two hours.

SIA said all affected passengers were provided with the necessary assistance, including hotel accommodation and rebooking of connecting flights.

The airline apologised to affected customers, adding that the safety of passengers and crew remains the airline's top priority.

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