Singapore Airlines Ltd. said one person was killed and several others injured after a flight from the U.K. to Singapore encountered severe turbulence in the skies over Asia and was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” the carrier said in a statement. “We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.”
The widebody aircraft with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was traveling from London Heathrow and diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after encountering the turbulence. Unverified photos posted on social media showed food and other loose items strewn across the cabin floor. The airline hasn’t yet provided details of the accident.
Fatalities are extremely rare in incidents of turbulence, particularly during travel at cruising altitude that’s considered the most stable part of the journey. Carriers routinely caution passengers to keep their seat belts fastened even when they have been switched off as unforeseen turbulence may occur.
About 240 events of severe turbulence were reported to European planemaker Airbus SE between 2014 and 2018, with injuries to passengers and crew occurring on 30% of long-haul flights where such events were reported, and 12% of short-haul flights, according to a briefing document on the phenomenon.
In 2001, Singapore Air said four passengers and three cabin crew were hurt when a flight from Kolkata to Singapore experienced unexpected turbulence. Emirates, the Dubai-based carrier said in early 2010 that 20 passengers on a flight from Dubai to Kochi in India suffered “minor injuries” when the aircraft “encountered a short period of heavy turbulence prior to descent.”
A study by Reading University published in 2023 said that clear-air turbulence, which is invisible, had increased with climate change. While the U.S. and North Atlantic had seen the biggest increase, routes over Europe, the Middle East and South Atlantic had also seen significant rises in turbulence.
The aircraft took off from London at 10:38 pm local time on Monday, according to FlightRadar24. The plane operating flight SQ321 was 16 years old, and is one of Singapore Air’s 23 777-300ERs. Boeing Co. didn’t immediately have a comment on the incident.
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