Singapore Airlines CEO apologises after turbulence on flight leaves one dead, many injured | Business News
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong on Wednesday apologised after turbulence on a London to Singapore flight left one passenger dead and many others injured.
“On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” he said.
After getting hit by the turbulence over the Irrawaddy basin at the height of 37,000 ft, the Boeing 777-300ER plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. “We are deeply saddened by this incident. It has resulted in one confirmed fatality and multiple injuries,” Phong added.
“Our priority is to render all possible assisstance to our passengers and crew members,” he said. The London-to-Singapore flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes.
The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. Phong informed that a relief flight carrying 143 of the passengers and crew members who were able to travel arrived in Singapore on Monday morning at around 5 am. Whereas, 79 passengers and six crew members remain in Bangkok, which includes the injured who are receiving medical treatment and their families, who were on the flight.
“Singapore Airlines will continue to extend all possible assistance to them. We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities for the investigation. We will provide updates as more information becomes available,” the CEO said.
Based on flight tracking data, FlightRadar 24 said at about 07:49 GMT, the Singapore Airlines flight encountered “a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”.
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“There were thunderstorms, some severe, in the area at the time,” it added.
“I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in like really awkward positions. People, like, getting massive gashes in the head, concussions,” Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student onboard the flight, told news agency Reuters.
“It is not a rare occurrence for big thunderstorms in the Bay of Bengal. There are always the chances of bumps,” the Reuters quoted an airline pilot who flies frequently between Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Singapore Airlines is seen as a benchmark for much of the airline industry and has not had any major incidents in recent times.
— With inputs from Reuters
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