A tow tug caught fire at Changi International airport as it was towing a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER to a departure gate.

In a statement, SIA says the incident occurred at 04:00 local time on 29 November.

The aircraft is registered 9V-SQK (MSN 33368), and SIA adds that it has been removed from service for inspection.

SIA says that no passengers were on board the aircraft at that time. However, one member of the towing crew, who was in the cockpit of the aircraft was evacuated via an emergency slide.

The fire was put out by the airport emergency services. SIA says that it will work closely with the authorities as well as SIA Engineering Company to investigate the incident.

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"Damage to the aircraft is being assessed and there was no impact on flight operations," it adds.

A video on social media, however, shows that the aircraft's front fuselage was covered in soot after the fire was put out.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that 9V-SQK was built in 2003. It is owned and managed by SIA.

Source: Cirium Dashboard