Singapore Airlines flight dumps fuel before emergency return to Melbourne over technical issue

The Boeing 777 operating Flight SQ228 departed Melbourne at 4:35 p.m. local time on Oct. 29 but returned about an hour later after circling north of the city to dump fuel before landing safely at 5:47 p.m., the airline said, The Straits Times reported.

All 219 passengers and 17 crew members disembarked normally, and no injuries were reported.

Singapore Airlines said its ground engineering team is working to resolve the issue and apologized to affected customers, emphasizing that "the safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority."

According to flight-tracking site Flightradar24, the plane was seen looping several times before heading back toward Melbourne Airport. Residents across the city’s eastern suburbs reported seeing the aircraft flying unusually low, with some describing the sight as "scary."

Videos posted on social media showed the jet releasing white trails from its wings, believed to be fuel being dumped to reduce landing weight.

A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told local broadcaster 7News that the plane "landed under normal conditions and taxied safely to the gate."

Passengers were given meal vouchers while awaiting further arrangements. The flight normally takes about seven hours and 45 minutes to reach Singapore.