( dpa ) - An Australian pilot who caused a temporary shutdown of Singapore's airspace was denied court approval to leave the city-state to attend to personal matters, news reports said Wednesday.
Rhys Henry Thomas, 59, was charged late last month with flying a Cessna float plane on January 22 without a valid certificate of airworthiness.
District Judge John Ng's denial on Tuesday was the second since February 28. Thomas again sought leave to visit his mother in an Australian hospital, The Straits Times said.
In addition to compassionate grounds, Thomas cited financial losses.
Two air force fighter jets were dispatched to escort Thomas' plane to Changi Airport when he entered Singapore's airspace after leaving Thailand.
Flights in the city-state were delayed for 50 minutes amid security fears.
A nine-day hearing starts Monday.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Cheow Han, in opposing the application for leave, said that Thomas had only himself to blame for his financial losses.
The accused "does not have anything here that can be seen as a compelling reason for him to come back," Ng was quoted as saying.