Singapore Air tightens seatbelt rules after turbulence nightmare

SSingapore Airlines Ltd. has imposed tighter cabin restrictions as the plane hit turbulence after one passenger died and scores of others were injured on a flight from London earlier this week.

The airline said on Friday it was taking a “more cautious approach” to dealing with turbulence after flight SQ321 suddenly lost altitude and was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. One man died and dozens of passengers remain in Thai hospitals suffering from serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries and head injuries.

In-flight catering will be suspended when the seatbelt sign is turned on and hot drinks will no longer be available, the airline said in a statement. Crew members will also return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts.

Singapore Air will “continue to review our processes” to ensure crew and passenger safety is our highest priority, it said.

Read more: “Severe turbulence” on Singapore flight from London leaves one dead and several injured

The policy change does not require all passengers to be buckled up for the entire trip, regardless of current flight conditions. Airlines typically encourage travelers to do so and only instruct them to sit down and buckle up in unstable weather.

The passengers’ injuries underscore the enormous vertical forces that overwhelm anyone not wearing a seat belt when a plane suddenly crashes. On flight SQ321, people were thrown into the cabin ceiling and personal belongings and items from the breakfast service were thrown throughout the aircraft.

About 22 passengers had to be treated for spinal cord injuries, and six suffered skull and brain injuries, the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said on Thursday. Twenty were in intensive care and 17 had undergone surgery. Immediately after the flight, more than 100 people in Bangkok required medical attention.

Despite the number of deaths and injuries, airlines are unlikely to require seatbelts on all flights, said Ron Bartsch, a former safety chief at Qantas Airways Ltd. who previously headed flight operations for the Australian Civil Aviation Authority. Deaths and serious injuries from severe turbulence are so rare that it is not worth imposing permanent restrictions that could deter some passengers, he said.

Read more: Passengers are more concerned about the safety of their aircraft, even though traveling by plane is as safe as ever

“I can’t remember the last fatality related to turbulence. It’s not as if it’s an everyday occurrence,” said Bartsch, founder of Sydney-based Avlaw Aviation Consulting Pty and author of books such as International Aviation Law: A Practical Guide“People don’t like hearing that they have to fasten their seatbelts and go back to their seats. I don’t expect any major changes in the way airlines operate.”

In its statement, Singapore Air said pilots and cabin crew are aware of the dangers associated with turbulence and that cabin crew are already trained to secure all loose items and equipment to minimise the risk of injury in such situations.

Turbulence can occur when an aircraft encounters a strong air current that pushes or pulls the aircraft. The phenomenon can be caused by hot air or strong weather systems. At higher altitudes, aircraft can encounter hard-to-identify turbulence in clear air caused by air masses moving at different speeds.

The forces can throw passengers around so violently that it can be as dangerous as falling headfirst off a ladder or jumping into a shallow concrete swimming pool, says Rohan Laging, deputy head of emergency services at Melbourne hospital group Alfred Health.