Singapore Airlines plane carrying F1 driver Vettel forced to land in Frankfurt

GENEVA (AFP) - A Zurich-bound Singapore Airlines (SIA) Airbus A380 reportedly carrying Formula 1 racer Sebastien Vettel was forced to land in Frankfurt before arriving at its destination three hours late on Wednesday.

Skyguide, which manages air traffic, said the delay was due to a problem onboard the super jumbo jet while a Singapore Airlines spokesman told Swiss newswire ATS that it was due to thick fog which covered Zurich airport at the scheduled landing time.

While approaching Zurich airport at around 8am (2pm Singapore time), the pilot suddenly interrupted the maneuver and regained altitude. The aircraft then headed to Frankfurt before taking off again for Switzerland. It finally landed in Zurich at 11.30am.

Problems with Rolls Royce engines in A380 aircraft - the world's biggest passenger plane - came to light after a Qantas super-jumbo made an emergency landing in Singapore in November last year because of a mid-air engine explosion.

http://www.straitstimes.com