Medical emergency forces Singapore-bound flight off course, delays landing by a day

A Singapore Airlines plane carrying 213 people on board diverted to Istanbul from a direct London to Singapore route on September 15, 2026 after a passenger took ill, delaying the flight by a day. — Unsplash pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Thursday, 17 Sep 2026 6:33 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Sept 17 — A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from London to Singapore was diverted to Istanbul on September 15 following a medical emergency on board.

Flight SQ305, which departed London’s Heathrow Airport at 9.38am local time, landed at Istanbul Airport at 5.07pm the same day, an airline spokesman told The Straits Times today.

The passenger requiring medical assistance was met by medical services upon landing and taken to hospital immediately, the spokesperson said, declining to disclose the nature of the medical situation, citing confidentiality.

The unnamed representative apologised for the inconvenience caused, but said its top priority is  the safety of its passengers and crew.

Flight tracking site FlightAware showed the Airbus A350-900 was flying over north-eastern Turkiye when it was diverted to Istanbul, in the country’s north-west.

There were 197 passengers and 16 crew on board, according to the Singapore newspaper.

The flight’s crew would have exceeded regulatory flight time limits had they continued, so the onward journey to Singapore was rescheduled to depart Istanbul at 12.10pm the following day, September 16.

SIA said it arranged hotel accommodation and rebooked affected passengers onto alternative flights where necessary.

The rescheduled flight was renumbered SQ9391 and departed Istanbul at 12.10pm, landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 3.33am on September 17.

The non-stop London-Singapore route typically takes about 13 hours, according to SIA’s website.