Two Flights To Singapore Diverted To Batam Due To Bad Weather

Batam, Riau Islands, Aug 22 (ANTARA) - Two flights headed for Singapore`s Changi airport were diverted to Hang Nadim airport in Batam, Indonesia, on Tuesday due to bad weather conditions. One of them was a Qantas flight from London, while the other was a Singapore Airlines flight from Hong Kong, said Dendy Gustinandar, the head of commercial affairs at Hang Nadim International Airport. "Qantas� London-Singapore flight was diverted at 4.59 pm, while the SIA flight from Hong Kong to Singapore was diverted at 4.45 pm," he added. As soon as weather conditions improved enough to allow wide-bodied aircraft to land at Changi airport, the two planes got ready to take off from Batam. Dendy said the Singapore Airlines plane was already on its way to Changi, while the Qantas aircraft was preparing to take off. �Passengers of the two planes did not disembark and remained aboard the aircraft, waiting for their departure," he noted. Hang Nadim airport has a 4,025-metre-long runway � the longest in the country. The airport was built to support the development of Batam as a major industrial zone in the Asia-Pacific region. "Qantas once surveyed and found Hang Nadim to be suitable for the landing of its A380 aircraft. Indeed it is," Dendy stated. He pointed out that the airport could accommodate 18 wide-bodied Boeing 767 type aircraft.