SIA pilots win praise online for safe landing in Perth amid strong winds

SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilots safely landed a plane amid strong winds at an airport in Perth, earning praise online after footage of their landing attempts went viral.

A video, posted on Facebook by user Chris Perry on Oct 31, shows the SIA jet approaching the runway to land before it tilts noticeably to its right, bringing the right wing close to the ground.

The pilots of the national carrier then abandoned the landing attempt and flew back into the sky. Another video uploaded by Perry, who claimed his sister was on the flight, shows the aircraft later making an uneventful landing.

Perry’s first video had garnered more than 7,200 likes and over 1,800 comments as at 11pm on Nov 1.

Many commenters praised the SIA pilots. One of them, Sampath Gur, noted that while the experience must have been “pretty frightening for many on board... SIA is known for choosing and training the best of the best”.

Another user, Yolanda Malojer, said: “Inches away from death, literally. That was a very calm and skilled pilot.”

In response to queries, an SIA spokesperson said on Nov 1 that flight SQ213, operating from Singapore to Perth, experienced strong winds on approach into Perth International Airport on Oct 31.

“As a result, the pilots decided to conduct a go-around,” the spokesperson added, without identifying the pilots of the flight.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website, a go-around is a safe, routine manoeuvre performed at the discretion of a pilot or at the request of an air traffic controller.

The go-around discontinues the landing approach and returns the aircraft to an altitude and configuration to safely make another approach, the FAA added.

The aircraft – an Airbus A350-900 – landed safely at 12.30pm local time and taxied to the gate, the SIA spokesperson said.

The wind speed measured at Perth Airport at 12.30pm was 32kmh, with gusts at 43kmh, data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s website showed.

“The safety of our customers and crew is SIA’s top priority,” the airline spokesperson said in its Nov 1 statement.

Daniel Lai is a journalist at the ST Now team, covering breaking news and international affairs.