Is it possible that the Malaysian
DCA not inform the Singapore DCA about the CESSNA flight plan, when
it was reported the plane had already contacted Malaysian DCA from
its originating airport at Koh Samui ?
The FPDA arrangement - under the command of a Senior Officer either
from Australia, NZ or UK - covers the air defense of Malaysia and
Singapore as one network, has there been a breakdown
?
The Star, Nation
Sunday January 27, 2008
Singapore informed by DCA of Cessna
flight
PETALING JAYA: The Department of Civil Aviation informed its
Singapore counterpart of the flight plan of a Cessna 208 plane,
which caused a major security alert at Changi Airport on
Tuesday.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said the DCA allowed
the plane, which took off from Koh Samui in Thailand to enter
Malaysian airspace, as it posed no danger.
It was just a small plane and we had confirmed that it brought no
threat to the country's defence.
The DCA immediately informed its Singapore counterpart after
getting the information from the Thai DCA that the plane was having
some problems and needed repairs in Singapore, he said after
attending the memorial service of Prof Dr Wolfgang Franke here
yesterday.
Dr Franke, who died in September last year, was a guest professor
at the Chinese Faculty, Universiti Malaya where Chan
graduated.
It was reported that Singapore scrambled two F-16 fighters to
intercept the plane, piloted by two Australians.
The incident caused a major flight disruption at Changi which was
forced to close for 50 minutes.
