Leak in overhead bin on Singapore Airlines flight sparks online buzz; airline says no safety risk

SINGAPORE: A Singapore Airlines flight from Seoul to Singapore drew widespread attention online after a passenger discovered water leaking from an overhead baggage compartment shortly before take-off.

TikTok user adelinebabyyy, who uploaded a video of the incident, told 8world News that she witnessed the leak on Nov 9 while travelling on flight SQ609 from Seoul back to Singapore. The footage, posted on Monday (Nov 17), quickly went viral and sparked intense discussion among netizens, accumulating more than 2,000 likes within hours.

In the video, she can be seen noticing droplets of water falling from the overhead bins as passengers were boarding. Cabin crew were initially observed wiping the area with paper towels and cloths, but the dripping continued. They later resorted to using rags and tape in an attempt to seal the leak temporarily. Despite these efforts, the compartment continued to leak even after the aircraft took off.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson told 8World that the incident was traced to a leaking water bottle belonging to a passenger whose luggage was stored in the affected compartment.

According to the spokesperson, the crew immediately cleaned and dried the compartment before using towels and tape to manage the dripping. Affected passengers were also given assistance, including covered seats, dry towels, and blankets.

“The safety of our passengers and crew has not been affected by this incident,” the spokesperson stressed, adding that the airline “deeply apologises for the inconvenience caused to affected passengers.”