Flights disrupted after fire alarm goes off at Changi control tower

The travel plans of some passengers at Changi Airport were disrupted yesterday after the fire alarm at the control tower went off just after midnight, leading the tower to be evacuated.

Between 12.10am and 1.40am, air traffic control services were "provided from back-up positions", said Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore director of air traffic services Rosly Saad in an e-mail statement yesterday.

During that period, 50 departure flights were delayed by 30 minutes or more, and nine arriving flights were diverted.

Mr Rosly said there was no fire in the control tower and that investigations into why the fire alarm was activated are still ongoing. He did not elaborate on what the back-up positions were.

Some flights were diverted to Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam and others to Kuala Lumpur International airport.

Some passengers took to social media to voice their frustrations, saying they had little clue as to what was happening during the incident.

Mr Chris Lian, a 35-year-old chef who was on his way back to Singapore from Bangkok, said his plane waited on the tarmac for more than an hour after landing at Changi Airport.

He told The Straits Times that he could not recall a similar incident in recent memory.

Although he was "pretty shocked" after the in-flight announcement informed passengers of possible operational problems, he said he was sure it had been done for good reason as "safety is still the most important".