A Paris-bound Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight was diverted to Dubai yesterday morning due to an engine issue.

SQ336, a direct flight from Singapore to Paris, was diverted to Dubai "as a result of a technical issue with one of the aircraft's four engines", said an SIA spokesman.

There were 311 passengers and 27 crew members on board. It arrived in Dubai around 4.20am (8.20am Singapore time) and was originally scheduled to reach Paris at 7.10am (2.10pm Singapore time).

As the engineers on ground require time to address the technical issue, a replacement aircraft was sent to Dubai to transport passengers to Paris, said SIA.

It was expected to depart Dubai around 4.20pm (8.20pm Singapore time) yesterday.

But a check on SIA's website later showed take-off was delayed by at least two more hours.

Last Saturday, Scoot's Flight TZ001 from Sydney to Singapore was about 40 minutes from its destination when passengers heard a loud sound before seeing sparks fly from the engine on the plane's right wing.

The aircraft landed as scheduled and fire services subsequently confirmed there was no engine fire. Scoot has since launched an investigation into the incident.

On Nov 8, A Tigerair flight departing Macau for Singapore turned back due to an engine issue which affected cabin pressure. On Nov 5, a "bird strike" caused a Tigerair flight from Hong Kong to turn back.

Seow Bei Yi