Singapore Airlines tightens cabin safety measures after turbulence killed one person and injured dozens

BANGKOK (AP) — Singapore Airlines said Friday that the carrier would suspend meal service and ask all cabin crew to fasten seat belts during turbulence as part of stricter measures for passenger cabins, following one death and dozens of injuries on a flight from London this week.

The airline said it had taken a “more cautious approach to managing in-flight turbulence” after the Boeing 777 jet en route to Singapore encountered extreme turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday, throwing people and objects in the cabin through the air.

“In addition to suspending hot beverage service when the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated, meal service will also be suspended,” the airline said in a statement. “Crew members will also return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts when the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated.”

The plane, which had 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board, made a steep descent of 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes and then flew towards Thailand. Officials said the turbulence probably occurred when food was being served and many passengers were not wearing seat belts. A 73-year-old Briton died, presumably of a heart attack. 46 passengers and two crew members were still in hospital on Friday.

Passengers described the “sheer horror” of the shaking plane, the loose objects flying through the air and the injured lying on the ground.

Singapore Airlines said other safety measures in place during inclement weather include crew members securing loose items in the cabin and galley to minimise turbulence-related injuries, instructing passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts, and monitoring passengers who may require assistance, such as using the toilet.

“Pilots and cabin crew are aware of the dangers associated with turbulence. They are also trained to assist customers and ensure cabin safety throughout the flight,” the airline said. “SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”

The Singapore Straits Times newspaper said public records showed that authorities had investigated six other Singapore Airlines flights over the past 20 years that were affected by turbulence and in which some passengers and crew were injured, and Tuesday’s incident was the only one in which there was a fatality.

It’s unclear what caused Tuesday’s severe turbulence. It’s believed to have been clear-air turbulence, the most dangerous type of turbulence, which often appears in the sky without any visible warning. Wind shear can occur in thin cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms as temperature and pressure differences create strong currents of fast-moving air.

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where most of the 104 people injured in the incident were treated, said the 48 people still in hospital included those with spinal cord or spinal injuries, skull or brain injuries, and damage to bones or internal organs.

Twenty people remained in intensive care, but the hospital said none of them were in critical condition. They include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Singapore Airlines has sincerely apologized for the incident. CEO Goh Choon Phong has pledged to fully cooperate with the investigation and has visited the patients in hospital to offer them his support.