Singapore: Singapore Airlines said today it had grounded an Airbus A380 superjumbo bound for Sydney after the plane came loose from a tow truck and accidentally rolled onto the grass beside a runway.

Nobody was injured in the incident yesterday involving the world s biggest airliner, a company spokesman said, but passengers were taken off so the plane could be repositioned and inspected for any damage.

Arrangements were being made for passengers to continue with their journey aboard a Boeing 747-400 aircraft today, he said. The truck, which was being used to push back the plane in preparation for the flight, "experienced some form of failure" causing it disconnect from the aircraft, the spokesman said.

"As a consequence of the failure on the truck, the aircraft ... Came into contact with the grass verge off the airport tarmac. The aircraft was not under its own power at the time," he said.

"It is too early at this time to know the cause of the incident but Singapore Airlines will investigate this quickly, and is filing reports with the appropriate Singapore authorities," the spokesman said.

Singapore Airlines received its first A380 in October last year to become the first carrier in the world to operate the hulking, double-decker aircraft, which it is currently using for the Singapore-Sydney route.

Travellers from around the world booked their seats on the maiden flight in October in an online charity auction. One Briton paid 100,000 dollars to be among the first to fly the largest passenger plane ever constructed.

Source : PTI