False Alarm: An hijacking alert from Singapore Airlines causes alarm

A Singapore Airlines jet going from Los Angeles to Singapore momentarily squawked the hijacking signal. This created dread on the ground, with many individuals thinking it was a false alarm. Fortunately, it appears to be a mechanical issue, since the plane in question arrived safely at Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) a few hours ago. Let's examine what transpired on SIA aircraft SQ 37.

The order of events

11 June local time, a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 flying flight SQ 37 from LAX-SIN departed the west coast of the United States just after midnight. The Airbus aircraft flying flight SQ 37 was given the registration number 9V-SJB and is around a year old. According to information provided by ch-aviation, 9V-SJB will have accumulated slightly more than 3,600 flying hours and 409 flight cycles by the end of February 2022.

The aircraft's transponder transmitted the Squawk 7500 signal over the Pacific Ocean. Flightradar24.com image

The SIA aircraft departed LAX regularly, then squawked a 7500 code when crossing the Pacific Ocean, not far from the airport of departure. This prompted other avgeeks and aviation enthusiasts to write about the incident on social media. However, the code was very briefly displayed, indicating that it was likely a technological error or an oversight. The airplane went normally for the remaining 16 hours of its trans-Pacific voyage and landed at SIN on Sunday morning.

Hijackings and Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines' history of hijackings is limited. The carrier has had one passenger thus far, which is obviously one more than the desired number. In 1991, a SIA Airbus A310 carrying 125 passengers from Malaysia to Singapore was hijacked by four Pakistani militants. The hijackers planned to fly to Sydney, Australia, and demanded the release of political prisoners. However, the aircraft was only fuelled for a 50-minute flight and had to land in SIN to refuel.

After lengthy talks, Singaporean officials stormed the aircraft and eliminated all four Pakistanis. Check out Simple Flying's complete narrative of the events of that day for further information.

Source: SimpleFlying