Singapore Airlines said one of its Airbus A-380 jets is being checked by engineers at Changi Airport after it was grounded in Germany due to scratches on the plane's body.
Flight SQ25 from New York to Singapore via Frankfurt landed here yesterday morning after a 23-hour delay.
The cause of the damage has not been established, but an unconfirmed report has suggested that the double-decker super- jumbo hit an aerobridge in New York while it was being pushed out for departure.
The plane was inspected by engineers in Frankfurt and cleared for take-off.
SIA spokesman Nicholas Ionides said passengers were either moved to hotels or transferred to other airlines while the checks were being carried out. There were 126 passengers and 26 crew on board when it landed here yesterday.
The plane will resume commercial service once cleared.
It is the second incident involving an SIA A-380 aircraft in recent weeks. Last month, Singapore-bound Flight SQ317 made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan about 10 hours after leaving London.
The plane, which was carrying 467 passengers and 27 crew, had lost cabin pressure - apparently due to a leak in one of its doors.
The door was replaced before the aircraft could return to Singapore.
Passengers were flown back in a replacement aircraft, which arrived at Changi Airport more than 30 hours after the original scheduled arrival time.
