SINGAPORE— A Vietnam Airlines (VN) flight from Singapore (SIN) to Hanoi (HAN) faced an extraordinary delay of nearly 14 hours, leaving passengers stranded at Changi Airport. The aircraft, originally scheduled to depart on Friday afternoon (October 10, 2025), only took off early Saturday morning after multiple postponements.
Flight VN660 was set to leave Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 at 1:05 pm on October 10 and arrive at Noi Bai International Airport at 3:35 pm. Instead, it departed at 2:54 am on October 11 and landed in Hanoi at 5:05 am, affecting more than 100 passengers.
Vietnam Airlines Flight Delayed by 14 Hours
Throughout Friday, Vietnam Airlines (VN) passengers received a series of delay updates roughly every three hours. According to Shin Min Daily News, staff initially cited operational reasons without offering clear explanations. It was only later that passengers were told the aircraft was “not fit for flight.”
Video footage shared by a traveler surnamed Wei showed a male staff member informing passengers about the issue. Another passenger voiced frustration, saying the airline should have made the situation clear immediately rather than after nearly half a day of waiting.
Later reports suggested the aircraft had been struck by a bird before departure, requiring repairs before it could be cleared for flight.
While the plane eventually received clearance after midnight, some passengers, including Wei’s wife and relatives, opted not to board due to safety concerns. They waited another two hours to retrieve their luggage and left the airport around 5 am on Saturday.
Over 100 passengers had their travel plans disrupted, with some missing portions of their trips or connections.
Many had spent about S$400 on round-trip tickets for short holidays in Hanoi. As of the report, Vietnam Airlines had not released an official public statement explaining the cause or addressing compensation for affected passengers.
Similar Incident
Frontier Airlines (F9) experienced a major operational disruption after a ground air conditioning hose was sucked into the engine of Flight F93134 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
The incident on August 16, 2025, forced Frontier Airlines (F9) to replace the damaged aircraft, delaying passengers by nearly nine hours while engineers assessed the engine damage.
Engine Incident Grounds Frontier Flight for Nine Hours
Frontier Airlines (F9) Flight F93134, an Airbus A320-251N scheduled to depart CLT for LGA at 9:55 AM, encountered a serious problem during pre-departure checks.
A ground air conditioning hose was accidentally pulled into the left engine while the aircraft was parked at the gate. The suction caused the hose to disintegrate within the fan blades, severely damaging the engine.
Videos captured by passengers showed fragments of the hose being shredded inside the spinning blades. One passenger described the scene, saying the engine was “fried.” The airline immediately removed the five-year-old aircraft from service for a detailed inspection.
Ground staff and airport personnel acted quickly to secure the aircraft and ensure passenger safety. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. All travelers were deplaned and guided back to the terminal while Frontier arranged a replacement aircraft to operate the flight.
Swift Response but Long Delay
Repairing the damaged Airbus A320 was not an immediate option due to the extent of the engine damage.
Frontier Airlines (F9) worked to source another aircraft, which became available around 7:00 PM. This led to a total delay of roughly nine hours before the replacement aircraft departed Charlotte (CLT) for LaGuardia (LGA), landing safely later that evening.
Frontier issued an apology to affected passengers, acknowledging the inconvenience and commending both its staff and airport personnel for handling the situation efficiently.
The airline confirmed that an internal investigation is underway to identify what caused the ground equipment to be drawn into the engine and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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