SINGAPORE Airlines cancelled an Airbus A380 flight due to a fuel pump defect, it said, its second mishap involving the world's largest airliner in two months.

The double-decker aircraft had been due to depart for Sydney on Monday evening.

'A problem presented with a fuel pump and this is the sort of problem that doesn't show till engine start-up,' SIA said in a statement on Tuesday.

SIA said it replaced the fuel pump, but as this did not solve the problem it had to transfer most of the passengers to a Boeing 747-400.

The remaining 70 passengers, who could not be accommodated, were transferred to alternative flights on Tuesday.

'Airbus and our own engineers have dedicated teams to try to address these issues quickly, but (the) fuel pump defect took much longer to fix,' SIA said.

The A380 has since been repaired, it added.

Last month, SIA grounded an A380 flight to Sydney after it became separated from a tow truck and accidentally touched the grass on the side of the tarmac, the first such mishap involving the commercial superjumbo.

The national airline took delivery of its first A380 in October last year to become the first carrier in the world to operate the aircraft. It got its second A380 last month and both planes are being used for the Singapore-Sydney route. -- REUTERS