Singapore Airlines flight: one dead and more than 20 injured after severe turbulence – latest updates | Air transport

In the US, there has been a recent spate of headlines about turbulent flights. Guardian columnist Emma Brockes wrote this piece on the topic.

In March, a Lufthansa flight en route from Texas to Germany diverted to Dulles airport in Washington DC after turbulence injured seven people. Last December, a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu encountered turbulence so bad that 20 people required hospitalisation. In July, another Hawaiian Airlines flight, from Honolulu to Sydney, hit turbulence that injured seven people. In August, 11 people were hospitalised when a Delta flight encountered turbulence on its descent into Atlanta. The injuries included lacerations, head trauma, broken bones and loss of consciousness, mainly among passengers not wearing their seatbelts.

Read the full story here:

Singapore Airlines, which is widely recognised as one of world’s leading airlines, has not had any major incidents in recent years.

Its last accident resulting in casualties was a flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei, where it crashed on 31 October 2000 into construction equipment on the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after attempting to take off from the wrong runway. The crash killed 83 of the 179 people on board.

A passenger onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok has recounted the terrifying descent.

Dzafran Azmir, 28, told Reuters:

Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.

Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it.

Singapore Airlines did not say at what point the injuries and death took place, but a passenger who spoke to Reuters said turbulence led to those not wearing seatbelts hitting overhead cabins.

What we know so far…

Sky’s Asia correspondent, Cordelia Lynch, is at Bangkok airport.

“There’s some suggestion the flight hit an air pocket before it had to make this emergency landing,” she said.

“There are some images circulating on social media that show parts of the plane inside and a lot of scattered debris.”

Singapore’s minister for transport, Chee Hong Tat, has said in a statement:

I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore.

The plane had encountered severe turbulence en-route and had to be diverted to Bangkok. Singapore Airlines has confirmed that there are injuries and one fatality on board.

Ministry of transport, Singapore, Singapore ministry of foreign affairs, civil aviation authority of Singapore and Changi airport officials as well as SIA staff are providing support to the affected passengers and their families. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.

More than 20 people injured after Singapore flight hit by turbulence – report

Rebecca Ratcliffe

Here is the full statement from Singapore Airlines issued after it was confirmed that one person had been killed and several others injured on a flight from London that was hit by severe turbulence.

“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” it said in a post on social media.

The airline said it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers, and was sending a team to Bangkok, where the plane was diverted, to provide additional support.

Singapore Airlines plane ‘fell 6,000 ft in three minutes’ – flight data

One person dies and others injured due to turbulence

Rebecca Ratcliffe