SEOUL (Reuters) – Singapore Airlines (OTC) has changed the use of in-flight seat belt signs and changed at least one flight route after a turbulence incident this week killed one person and sent dozens more to hospital, according to the airline. and flights.
The airline is taking a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or food when the fasten seat belt sign is illuminated, Singapore broadcaster Channel News Asia said in a statement.
“SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance,” it said.
The airline did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
London-Singapore flight SQ321, a Boeing (NYSE:) 777-300ER carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, was diverted to Bangkok on Tuesday for an emergency landing after the plane encountered turbulence that caused passengers to and the crew members scattered throughout the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling.
Daily route SQ321 from London to Singapore has made two flights since the incident and has not flown over the part of Myanmar where sudden turbulence occurred about 3 hours before the scheduled landing. Flight time is about the same as tracking data shows.
Instead, they flew over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar 24 shows.
Singapore Airlines said the plane encountered sudden severe turbulence on Tuesday. A 73-year-old British passenger died of a suspected heart attack.
Photos from inside the plane show cuts on the cabin’s overhead panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling, and luggage scattered around. A passenger said some people’s heads hit the headlights above the seats and broke the panels.
As of Thursday evening, 46 passengers and two crew members were hospitalized in Bangkok; Another 19 people were still in Bangkok, the airline said.
Twenty of the 46 people remained in intensive care, Bangkok hospital spokesman Samitivej Srinakarin said on Thursday, adding that the injured had injuries to the spinal cord, brain and skull.
Singapore Airlines, which is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading airlines and considered a benchmark for much of the industry, has not faced any major incidents in recent years.