Singapore Air tweaks seatbelt sign policy, alters route after turbulence incident By Reuters
SEOUL (Reuters) – Singapore Airlines (OTC:) has revised its seat belt policies on board and rerouted at least one flight after a turbulence incident this week left one person dead and dozens hospitalized, according to the airline and flight data.
The airline said in a statement to Singaporean broadcaster News Asia that it is adopting a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or meals when the seat belt sign is illuminated.
“SIA will continue to review our operations, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance,” she added.
The airline did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Flight SQ321 between London and Singapore on board a Boeing 777-300ER carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members was diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday after the plane hit turbulence that threw passengers and crew around the cabin, causing some of the planes to collide in the Roof.
The daily London to Singapore flight SQ321 has completed two flights since the accident and has not flown over the part of Myanmar where the sudden turbulence occurred about 3 hours before the scheduled landing. Flight time is about the same, tracking data shows.
Instead, they flew over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, according to trajectory data from flight tracking website FlightRadar 24.
On Tuesday, the plane encountered sudden severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said. A 73-year-old British passenger died of a suspected heart attack.
Pictures from inside the plane showed cuts in the upper cabin panels, oxygen masks, panels hanging from the ceiling, and luggage scattered around. One passenger said some people's heads hit the lights above the seats and the panels broke.
As of late Thursday, 46 passengers and two crew members had been taken to hospital in Bangkok; The airline said 19 others remained in Bangkok.
An official at Bangkok's Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said Thursday that 20 of the 46 people remained in intensive care, adding that those injured suffered from a combination of spinal cord, brain and skull injuries.
Singapore Airlines, widely known as one of the world's leading airlines and seen as a benchmark for much of the industry, has not seen any major accidents in recent years.
