Passenger Killed, 30 Injured In Severe Turbulence On Singapore Airlines Flight

In a rare incident, severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore resulted in one passenger’s death and injuries to at least 30 others.

Flight SQ321, a Boeing 777-300 ER, departed from Heathrow Airport on Monday, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. The turbulence struck en route, forcing the aircraft to divert to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where it landed at 3:45 PM (local time) on Tuesday.

Singapore Airlines confirmed the fatality and injuries in a statement, expressing condolences to the deceased passenger’s family. The airline emphasized its commitment to assisting all affected passengers and crew, working closely with Thai authorities to provide medical care and dispatching a team to Bangkok for further support.

Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.

We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on…

— Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) May 21, 2024

Experts attribute such injuries to unfastened seatbelts and the unpredictable nature of turbulence, which can sometimes bypass weather radar detection, leaving passengers unprepared and vulnerable.

This incident follows a similar occurrence in May last year when turbulence injured several passengers on an Air India flight from Delhi to Sydney.