SIA aircraft veers off Yangon runway

[SINGAPORE] A Singapore Airlines plane skidded off the runway on touching down during heavy rain at Myanmar's Yangon International Airport, but no injuries were reported, the carrier said yesterday.

The Airbus A330 plane "encountered heavy rain and veered slightly off the runway on landing" at 10.05 am Yangon time (0335 GMT) on Wednesday, before it was steered safely back, the airline said. "The aircraft was towed to the gate and customers disembarked normally," it said in a statement, adding that a replacement plane was sent to Yangon for the return flight.

The plane, flight SQ998 on a daily route to Myanmar, was carrying 265 passengers and crew, the airline told AFP.