PERTH - A Scoot plane bound for Singapore was forced to make a U-turn back to Perth on Monday (July 11) night, after a technical fault was detected about 20 minutes into the flight.

The fault was discovered at 7.40pm and a decision was made for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to return to Perth, said Scoot in a statement on Tuesday (July 12).

The aircraft is able to carry 375 passengers. Scoot declined to disclose the number of passengers on board at the time.

Scoot flight TR009 could not proceed in time on Monday as there was a fault with a technical component in the aircraft. The required spare parts for repairs were not available in Perth and had to  be sent from Singapore, Scoot said.

Passengers were offered the option to be accommodated on TR009 on Tuesday at 6pm, if there were seats available. Another alternative offered by Scoot was a relief flight, TR5001/TR9D, expected to arrive in Perth on Tuesday night at 8pm, with a scheduled departure for 9pm.

One of the passengers on TR009 had been in Perth for a holiday. She said the flight was scheduled for 6pm but departed at 7.30pm.

“After about 20 minutes in the air, the pilot announced there was a flight control malfunction. I was quite worried because it was an emergency landing, but was also relieved that the pilot made the right call and we landed back safely," said the passenger, who would give her name only as Ms Lee.

The passenger said she was frustrated that she could not get an answer from Scoot’s ground staff on what the problem had been.

A flight from Perth to Singapore takes about five hours, according to Scoot’s website.

Local customers have been advised to return to their residences, and Scoot has provided hotel accommodation for the remaining passengers. Scoot will also assist customers with connecting flights from Singapore in the rebooking of their flights.