SIA Group CEO says sorry after oxygen masks deployed on Scoot flight
Scoot has experienced at least 12 major flight disruptions caused by aircraft technical issues since November last year.
SINGAPORE — Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong has apologised to passengers after oxygen masks were deployed on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Taipei on Sunday (March 24).
Responding to media queries, Scoot, the low-cost airline of the SIA Group, said that pilots of flight TR996 had switched on a backup power unit “to prevent an overweight landing caused by excess fuel”. This then resulted in a slight loss of cabin pressure.
Scoot added that the loss in pressure did not affect the safety of the flight. However, the pilots decided to deploy oxygen marks as a precautionary measure.
An infant travelling with a female passenger vomited during the flight's descent, but there were no other reports of injuries or major discomfort.
The incident resulted in a delay of more than 10 hours for the plane’s return flight, TR997, from Taipei back to Singapore.
A replacement aircraft was deployed to “minimise the disruption” caused to its passengers on the return flight, said a Scoot spokesperson on Sunday.
“We acknowledge that this precautionary measure by our pilots has caused anxiety and inconvenience to our passengers and for this, we apologise,” said Mr Goh.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding.”
Scoot has experienced at least 12 major flight disruptions caused by aircraft technical issues since November last year.
The most serious delay occurred in December last year, when passengers bound for Singapore were stuck in Athens, Greece, for 56 hours.
