SINGAPORE — About 170 flights in and out of Changi Airport were delayed on Tuesday (Feb 6) after an aircraft from the South Korean aerobatic team skidded and crashed into the grass verge at the side of Changi's Runway 1 during the Singapore Airshow.

The single-seater T-50 Golden Eagle plane caught fire after the incident at around 1.24pm, but the pilot from the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles team managed to escape with light injuries.

The pilot was taken to the airport clinic for a check-up and subsequently discharged, said Changi Airport in an update on Tuesday night.

"Runway 1 was closed following the incident to facilitate investigations by the authorities before the aircraft could be removed," the statement read. "Upon completion of the initial fact finding, the aircraft was removed. Following that, the runway was checked thoroughly and cleaned up to ensure that it was safe and ready for operations before it could be reopened."

In a Facebook post at around 7.08pm, Changi Airport said the runway has reopened and it is doing its best to "return to normal flight operations as soon as possible".

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the incident took place when the aircraft was taking off for a flying display as part of the programme at the Airshow.

"Airport Emergency Service responded to the incident immediately and the fire was extinguished. The pilot sustained light injuries and is being treated. Runway 1 will be closed until further notice," CAAS said in a statement.

In its update on Tuesday night, Changi Airport said operations were "impacted as it was operating with just one runway instead of two".

"About 170 flights were delayed by an hour or more... Flight operations are expected to return to normal later tonight," it said. "Passengers scheduled to depart in the next few hours are advised to contact their airlines or check the latest flight information on changiairport.com or the iChangi app."

The T-50 aircraft is a supersonic advanced trainer and light combat aircraft developed indigenously in South Korea by the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin.

A TODAY team at the airport did not see signs of unusually large crowds. Staff from the various airlines were seen checking in passengers, but told them to check the flight information screens in the transit area for updates.

A number of Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights were held up, with delays stretching up to about four hours. A Jakarta-bound flight was delayed by three hours and 40 minutes, while one leaving for Seoul was set back by nearly three-and-a-half hours, an SIA staff member told TODAY at Terminal 3. 

“We experienced flight delays which lasted several hours,” said an SIA spokesperson. While the affected runway has reopened, SIA said it expects some delays to its flight operations owing to the “backlog caused by the closure”.

A supervisor with Garuda Indonesia told TODAY that four of its flights leaving from Terminal 3 have either been cancelled or held up since about 2pm. 

Flight GA831, which was scheduled to depart at 2.05pm, was still on the ground when TODAY spoke to the Garuda supervisor at 5.05pm. It was re-timed to depart at 5.30pm. 

The Indonesian national carrier also held back one of its Singapore-bound flights from Jakarta, to “lessen the burden on the (Singapore) airport”. “It’s better for the airport (this way),” said the supervisor, who declined to give his name.

The delays on Tuesday disrupted yoga teacher Maria D’souza's travel plans. The 49-year-old was initially due to depart Changi at 8.20pm on a Garuda flight to Jakarta, but had to take a later flight at 10.55pm instead due to the delays. She would reach her destination around 1am.

Even after the affected runway reopened in the evening, Mr Heinz Hoffmann’s 9pm flight to Bangkok on Thai Airways was rescheduled to depart from Terminal 1 after midnight.

The 73-year-old businessman, who lives in the Thai capital and travels to Singapore once in two months, said it was the first time he has experienced a delay at Changi Airport.

“It happens,” said Mr Hoffmann, who informed his driver to expect him at the airport later, at about 1am Bangkok time.

Mr Ian Yeap, 21, is travelling with six friends to Bangkok where they will catch a flight to Sapporo in Japan for an eight-day holiday.

The delays mean they will miss their connecting flight in Bangkok. Their Thai Airways flight is re-timed to leave Singapore  at 12.25am on Wednesday, more than three hours behind schedule.

When TODAY spoke to the group at Terminal 1 on Tuesday evening, they were seeking help from airline employees on alternatives.

They face the prospect of spending a full day in Bangkok on Wednesday, since Thai Airways flies only once daily to Sapporo, at night. Mr Yeap said: “It’s part and parcel of travelling.”