JAKARTA – Bad weather in Singapore forced Changi Airport to divert four flights from Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand and Japan to Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday.
The planes waited in Batam for more than four hours until the weather permitted them to land in Changi.
The first flight, a Tigerair flight from Hong Kong, landed in Batam at 2:29 p.m. The other flights were a Singapore Airlines flight from Brisbane, a SilkAir flight from Thailand and a Singapore Airlines flight from Tokyo.
Hang Nadim’s general manager Suwarso said Friday that Batam also saw heavy rainfall but the weather was worse in Singapore with strong winds.
The close location of Batam makes Hang Nadim an alternative to Changi in such emergency situations, he said.
“The diversion to Batam is a regular thing,” he said.
The passengers did not leave the plane and waited for three to four hours for the weather to improve.
