Latest turmoil at Singapore Airlines: British man named Geoffrey Kitchen killed

Aviation consultant John Strickland told the PA news agency that “turbulence happens” but even with millions of flights a year, incidents are “limited” and “fatalities are rare”.

He said: “In different parts of the world the burden is greater.

“The South Atlantic, Africa and the Bay of Bengal are all places where I think the abundance is higher.

“There are discussions about whether climate change is having an impact on the increase in deposits.”

Mr. Strickland said airlines use various methods to minimize the likelihood of a flight being affected by turbulence, such as weather forecasts, radar and reports from aircraft flying ahead.

A passenger travelling on Singapore Airlines to attend his son’s wedding said the day was “the worst day of my life”.

With a bandage covering part of his head, Jerry, who was identified by his first name, said: “At first everything went very smoothly. I was just going to the toilet, came back, sat down, some turbulence, and suddenly the plane crashed.

“I don’t know how far, but it was a long road. (It was) so sudden, there was no warning at all, and I ended up banging my head against the ceiling, just like my wife.

“Some poor people running around were doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible but then suddenly it stopped and it was quiet again and the staff were doing their best to look after the injured.

“There were a lot of them and some of the staff were injured themselves, so they did an excellent job.”

“We deeply regret the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” Goh Choon Phong said in a video shared by the airline on social media.

Mr Phong expressed his condolences to the family of the British passenger who died on the flight, now identified as 73-year-old Geoffrey Kitchen. Mr. Kitchen was traveling with his wife on a planned trip to Asia, which one family member described as their “last big vacation together.”

Tributes have been paid to a 73-year-old Briton who died after severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from Heathrow Airport.

The passenger, named Geoff Kitchen, probably suffered a heart attack during the flight, according to a spokesman for Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, where the plane was diverted.

He added that seven other people were seriously injured and dozens more suffered minor injuries.

Turbulence-related aviation accidents are the most common type, according to a 2021 study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

The US agency found that between 2009 and 2018, more than a third of all reported aviation accidents were caused by turbulence. Most of these resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the aircraft. The NTSB is sending representatives to assist Singapore in investigating the incident, it said.

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

His last fatal accident occurred on a flight from Singapore via Taipei to Los Angeles, where he crashed into construction equipment at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on October 31, 2000 after attempting to take off from the wrong runway. The crash killed 83 of the 179 people on board.

According to Aviation Safety Network records, Singapore Airlines had seven accidents.

Boeing said it was in contact with Singapore Airlines and stood ready to provide support. Further questions were referred to the airline and local authorities.

Four Irish people were on board a Singapore Airlines flight from London where one person died and many others were injured when the plane hit severe turbulence.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that four Irish nationals were on the flight, but it is not yet known whether they were among the many injured.

A ministry spokeswoman said: “We are aware that four Irish nationals were on board.”

A British passenger described the carnage aboard the Singapore flight, which rapidly deteriorated in the turbulence, killing one person and injuring dozens more.

The Boeing 777-300ER was en route from Heathrow to Singapore with 211 passengers and 18 crew when it made an emergency landing in Bangkok, the airline said in a statement.

Seven of the 30 people injured during the flight were seriously injured, the general manager of Bangkok airport said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Even experienced flyers can sometimes be frightened by the jolts and shocks during flight, although in the vast majority of cases it is nothing worse than shaking your meal in flight.