One passenger has died and more than 30 others have been injured after a Singapore Airlines plane hit severe turbulence on a flight between London and Singapore.
Flight SQ 321 departed London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 22:05 local time on May 20, 2024, and was enroute to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) when it encountered the turbulence.
The flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK).
The aircraft, a B777-300ER, registered 9V-SWM, landed safely at 15:45 local time in Bangkok on May 21, 2024.
Singapore Airlines confirmed the incident via Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board,” the airline said.
The airline also offered its “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased and added that its “priority is to provide possible assistance to all passengers and crew”.
No further details were given regarding the deceased passenger’s age or nationality.
One social media user who identified themselves as a passenger on board the flight took to X to describe his experience.
A local Thai media outlet posted photographs of what appears to be the interior of the aircraft showing the impact of the turbulence.
The post said that emergency medical crews were immediately called to Bangkok Airport.
Singapore Airlines said it will regularly post updates on all its social media pages.
According to a June 2023 study conducted by researchers from the University of Reading in England, flight turbulence is bound to get stronger due to climate change.
The study claimed that warmer air from CO2 emissions is increasing windshear in the jet streams, strengthening clear-air turbulence in flight routes over the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the South Atlantic.