Singapore Air boss thanks employees after turbulent episode

Singapore Airlines boss Goh Choon Pong has thanked the airline’s staff for their hard work following a severe turbulence incident that left a Briton dead and dozens more injured.

“The last five days have been extremely challenging for everyone at Singapore Airlines,” Mr Goh wrote in a memo seen by the BBC.

The news came after flight SQ321 from London to Singapore was diverted to Bangkok, Thailand following an incident over the Indian Ocean on May 21.

The Boeing B777-ER was flown back to Singapore on Sunday.

“Our agility, commitment and team spirit were evident during this period,” Mr Goh’s memo said.

“On behalf of the board (of Singapore Airlines) and the entire management team, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he added.

Geoff Kitchen, a 73-year-old from Gloucestershire, died of a suspected heart attack after the plane hit turbulence, while more than 100 other people were being treated at a hospital in the Thai capital.

Passengers and crew who were not seriously injured in the incident were flown to Singapore early the next day.

The memo also said that the airline continues to support injured passengers and staff and that Mr Goh personally visited the hospital last week.

In a video address a day after the incident, Mr Goh conveyed his deepest condolences to Mr Kitchen’s family and apologised to all those affected.

He said Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau would conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

Accidents involving Singapore Airlines are rare and the airline is consistently one of the safest airlines in the world.

The last fatal accident occurred in 2000, when a Boeing 747 crashed while attempting to take off from the wrong runway at a Taiwanese airport.

Of the 179 people on board, about 83 died.