It left hundreds of passengers bound for Sydney stranded for more than six hours.

The delay was caused by a faulty fuel pump, the airline said. The problem has since been fixed and the aircraft was back in service on Tuesday night, the company said in a statement.

Another technical problem grounded a Sydney-bound A380 last month. In that case, the glitch was caused by a faulty electrical relay that powered the fuel pump.

Earlier this month, an SIA Airbus superjumbo was grounded in Sydney for one-and-a-half days with auxiliary brake problems.

A spokesman described the delays as 'teething problems', but said the double-decker Airbus has a 'generally excellent' record.

'Its entry-into-service record has been substantially better than any other new aircraft type that we've received,' said SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw.

Passengers on Monday night's flight were eventually transferred onto two smaller Boeing 747 jets.

SIA has three A380 superjumbos, which were introduced last October and can accommodate over 470 passengers each. It has also placed orders for another 16, with an option to buy six more.

SIA's A380 flies to two destinations: Sydney and London. On May 20, Tokyo is scheduled to be added to the list.