Aussie flight infiltrates Singapore

A private plane that entered Singapore air space causing panic on Tuesday evening was said to be an Australian-registered Cessna being piloted by its Australian owners.

The incident caused a 50-minute shutdown of Singapore's airspace, including Changi Airport, leaving 16 commercial flights circling the region, officials said Thursday.

The single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan float plane had originally taken off from Koh Samui Tuesday night and approached Singapore without a flight plan. Two Singapore Air Force F16 fighter jets were subsequently scrambled and intercepted the plane.

Singapore Air Force tracked the Cessna and the armed F16 fighters signaled to its pilots to land.

On landing at the central runway, two Australians - Mary Cummins and Rhys Thomas - were escorted away by police.

Mary Cummins had recently purchased the aircraft from an airline in Koh Samui for her tourist adventure flight company, which is co-owned by Rhys Thomas, a former Ansett pilot.

The Singapore Air Force has been on heightened alert for airborne terrorists since 9/11.

The shutdown of the airspace in Singapore affected 23 aircraft costing many thousands of dollars in fuel as well as delayed flights.

Police are investing the incident.

Getting to Samui