Following a London flight earlier this week that resulted in one passenger dying and others injuries, Singapore Airlines Ltd. has strengthened its policies regarding cabin service during turbulence.
After Flight SQ321 unexpectedly lost altitude on Tuesday and had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, the airline said on Friday that it is adopting a “more cautious approach” to handling turbulence.
Dozens more travellers with severe wounds, including brain injuries and spinal cord damage, are still being treated in Thai hospitals; one man passed away.
The airline said in a statement that in addition to the suspension of hot drinks, in-flight food service will be discontinued when the seatbelt sign is activated. Additionally, crew members will take their seats again and fasten their seatbelts.
According to the airline, Singapore Air “will continue to review our processes” to put passenger and crew safety first.
The revised regulation does not mandate that every passenger wear a seatbelt the whole flight, regardless of the weather at the time. Travellers are usually advised to do this by airlines, and they are only told to sit down and buckle up in inclement weather.
The injuries received by passengers highlight the tremendous vertical pressures that an aircraft’s quick plunge may overpower anyone not wearing a seat belt.
People were thrown into the cabin roof on Flight SQ321, and breakfast service goods and personal belongings were thrown throughout the plane.
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital reported on Thursday that around 22 passengers had undergone treatment for spinal damage, while six others had sustained injuries to their skulls and brains. Seventeen had undergone surgery and twenty were in critical care. Following the flight, over 100 individuals needed medical attention in Bangkok.
Singapore Air said in a statement that pilots and cabin staff are aware of the risks posed by turbulence. To reduce the possibility of accidents in these circumstances, the cabin crew is already taught to secure all loose objects and equipment.
When an aircraft encounters a strong air stream that pushes or pulls the airframe, turbulence may result. Strong weather systems or hot air pockets may be the source of the phenomena. Air masses with varying velocities can generate difficult-to-identify clean air turbulence at higher altitudes for aeroplanes.
According to Rohan Laging, deputy director of emergency services at Melbourne hospital group Alfred Health, the forces can toss individuals around so fiercely that it can be as perilous as plunging headfirst off a ladder or diving into a shallow concrete swimming pool.
