Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong issued a public apology on Wednesday, May 22, following a tragic incident where severe turbulence on its flight from London to Singapore resulted in one passenger’s death and injuries to over 70 others.
In a video message, Phong expressed deep regret for the traumatic experience endured by everyone on board flight SQ321, media reports said.
After the incident, a relief flight carrying 143 of the SQ321 passengers and crew members arrived in Singapore.
Over 70 passengers and six crew members, including those receiving medical care and their family members, remained in Bangkok.
Singapore Airlines also pledged full support and assistance to the affected passengers and crew. Phong also emphasised the airline’s cooperation with relevant authorities in the ongoing investigations.
The incident occurred on a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER at an altitude of 37,000 feet. The aircraft, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, encountered sudden extreme turbulence.
Flight SQ321, which departed from Heathrow Airport in London on Monday, encountered severe turbulence approximately 10 hours into its journey, over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, causing the plane to descend rapidly into an air pocket.
This prompted an emergency landing request at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where the flight landed at 3:45 PM local time on Tuesday.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn reported that a 73-year-old British man died of a heart attack during the turbulence.
Seven others were critically injured, with some sustaining head injuries.