Singapore Airlines changes seatbelt sign policy after fatal turbulence incident

Singapore Airlines has tweaked its in-flight seatbelt sign policies and changed at least one flight route after turbulence left one person dead and dozens more hospitalized this week, according to airline and flight officials.

The airline is taking a more cautious approach to turbulence and, for example, does not serve hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt sign is lit, it said in a statement to Singaporean broadcaster Channel News Asia.

“SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance,” it said.

The airline did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

London-Singapore flight SQ321, aboard a Boeing 777-300ER with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, had to be diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday after the aircraft was hit by turbulence that tossed passengers and crew around in the cabin, hurling some against the ceiling.

The daily London-Singapore airline SQ321 has made two flights since the incident, avoiding the part of Myanmar where the sudden turbulence occurred about three hours before the scheduled landing. Flight times have remained roughly the same, tracking data shows.

Instead, they flew over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, as route data from the flight tracker FlightRadar 24 shows.

Photos from inside the plane showed cracks in the cabin panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling, and luggage scattered everywhere. One passenger said some people hit their heads on the lights above the seats, breaking the panels.

As of late Thursday, May 23, 46 passengers and two crew members were hospitalized in Bangkok, with 19 others still in Bangkok, the airline said.

Twenty of the 46 remained in intensive care, an official at Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said on Thursday, adding that the injured had suffered spinal cord, brain and skull injuries.

Singapore Airlines, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading airlines and a benchmark for much of the industry, has not experienced any major incidents in recent years.