Pilots did not try to land at wrong airport: Singapore Airlines clarifies on goof-up reports

Photo: Twitter/Singapore airlines

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Airlines (SIA) has dismissed media reports, which claimed that the pilots of its Singapore-Mumbai flight tried to land at a wrong airport.

The airline's statement comes after a section of media reported that flight SQ422 on Monday mistakenly made an approach to land at Mumbai's Juhu airport instead of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The Airbus A350, with 259 passengers and crew members, was scheduled to land at the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport. But adhering to standard operating procedures, the pilots aborted the landing at about 1,000 feet due to poor visibility, Singapore media quoted the SIA statement.

Mumbai's air traffic control then vectored the flight for a subsequent approach and the flight landed 'uneventfully' at Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

Juhu airport has a shorter airstrip and is used for handling helicopters and small aircraft. Landing on a wrong runway could have resulted in an overrun.