Singapore Airlines will suspend meal service when planes fly through turbulence after one person died and dozens were injured on a flight from London this week.
The airline said it has taken a “more cautious approach to managing in-flight turbulence” after the Singapore-bound Boeing 777 plane encountered extreme turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday, throwing passengers and belongings throughout the cabin.
“In addition to the suspension of hot beverage service when the seat belt sign is on, meal service will also be suspended,” the airline said in a statement.
“Crew members will also return to their seats and fasten their seat belts when the seat belt sign is illuminated.”
The plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew – including 47 passengers from Britain and four Irish nationals – made a sharp descent of 1,800 meters in about three minutes before diverting towards Thailand.
Geoff Kitchen, 73, from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, died after suffering a suspected heart attack on board the Singapore Airlines plane
The airline said it has taken a “more cautious approach to managing in-flight turbulence” after the Singapore-bound Boeing 777 aircraft encountered extreme turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday.
The company said meal service has been suspended and crew members will also return to their seats and fasten their seat belts when the seat belt sign is illuminated
The plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew – including 47 passengers from Britain and four Irish nationals – made a sharp descent of 1,800 meters in about three minutes before diverting towards Thailand. In the photo: a flight attendant with blood on her face
Officials said the turbulence likely occurred when meals were being served and many people were not using seat belts.
Geoff Kitchen, 73, from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, died after suffering a suspected heart attack on board the plane.
Forty-six passengers and two crew members remain in hospital.
A British woman is paralyzed from the waist down, her husband announced yesterday.
Dance teacher Kerry Jordan, originally from Appledore in Devon, suffered a ‘life-changing injury’ after being catapulted into the lockers after the Boeing 777 encountered extreme turbulence during his flight from London. She is recovering at Samittivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, where she is expected to remain for several weeks after undergoing emergency surgery.
Passengers describe the “sheer terror” of the shaking plane, loose objects flying and injured people lying on the floor of the plane.
Singapore Airlines said other existing safety measures during inclement weather conditions include requiring crew members to stow loose items in the cabin and galley to minimize turbulence-related injuries, advising passengers to return to their seats and buckle up, and providing supervision keep an eye on passengers who may need assistance. like the one in the toilet.
Dance teacher Kerry Jordan, originally from Appledore in Devon, suffered a ‘life-changing injury’ after being catapulted into the lockers after the Boeing 777 encountered extreme turbulence during his flight from London. She is pictured right with husband Keith Davis
Officials said the turbulence likely occurred when meals were being served and many people were not using seat belts. In the photo: food spread across the plane
Forty-six passengers and two crew members remain in hospital. Pictured: The interior of Singapore Airlines Flight SG321 after it made an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Thai rescue workers hurriedly transport seriously injured passengers on stretchers
Thai emergency services lift a man on a stretcher over the heads of injured passengers
Singapore Airlines said other existing safety measures during inclement weather conditions include requiring crew members to secure loose items in the cabin and galley. Pictured: the destruction caused by the turbulence
Passengers of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321, which made an emergency landing in Bangkok, greet relatives upon arrival at Changi Airport in Singapore
‘Pilots and cabin crew are aware of the dangers associated with turbulence. They are also trained to assist customers and ensure cabin safety during the flight,” the airline said.
“SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance.”
According to the Singapore Straits Times newspaper, public records show that authorities have investigated six other Singapore Airlines flights that have been hit by turbulence over the past two decades, injuring some passengers and crew.
Tuesday’s incident was the only one involving a fatality.
It is unclear what caused Tuesday’s severe turbulence.
It is believed to have been clear air turbulence, the most dangerous type that often occurs without visible warning in the sky ahead.
Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms because differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where most of the 104 people injured in the incident were treated, said the 48 people still being treated include those with spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs.
Twenty people are still in intensive care, but according to the hospital, no one is in a life-threatening condition.
They include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Singapore Airlines has apologized for the incident.
CEO Goh Choon Phong has promised that the carrier will fully cooperate with the investigation and has visited people at the hospital to offer his support.