Flights between S'pore, Taipei affected as Typhoon Kong-rey hits

Several flights between Singapore and Taipei were affected on Oct 31 as super Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall on Taiwan's east coast at 1.40pm.

- Additional reporting by Elaine Lee and Chin Hui Shan

The 5.35pm Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flight SQ879 from Taipei to Singapore was cancelled, while Flight SQ878 from Singapore to Taipei was diverted to Hong Kong "due to weather conditions caused by the typhoon", the carrier said in a media reply.

SQ878 had been scheduled to land in Taiwan at 4.20pm. It had 317 passengers and 14 crew on board, and landed uneventfully in Hong Kong at around 5.10pm, an SIA spokesperson said.

A passenger on the diverted flight told The Straits Times that the plane tried to land in Taiwan a few times but was unsuccessful.

Ms Natalee Ho, 30, said there was turbulence when the plane tried to land in Taipei and that the flight was slightly "bumpier than usual".

"I was okay, but at least three people around me were vomiting," the lawyer added.

"We were told that the flight was diverted because of fuel considerations, and that the weather does not look like it will let up," she said, adding that the passengers on board looked disappointed but were civil.

She said the flight was brought forward by about two hours.