Singapore Airlines: Today's key developments as British man dies during turbulence on flight

One study suggests aircraft encounter severe clear air turbulence at least 790 times a year, which works out at once every 11 hours. But climate researchers say the incidence at a typical point over the North Atlantic increased by 55 per cent between 1979 and 2020.

Read the full story from The Independent.

An airline expert has said the extreme turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight in which a 73-year-old British man die of a suspected heart attack and dozens of people were left injured is "extremely rare".

It isn't the first time that someone has died in similar circumstances – last year a White House official dying on a private jet after encountering severe turbulence, but industry expert Ryan Ewing says these incidents are "so newsworthy" precisely because they're so uncommon.

"Turbulence can shock the system, especially when it's an extreme event, and can make even the most regular flyers a little bit nervous," Ewing, founder of aviation news site AirlineGeeks, told Yahoo News.

Read the full story from Yahoo News here

A man has spoken of the moment turbulence caused a Singapore Airlines plane to plummet 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes.

A warning sign has been revealed about the dangers of plane turbulence. One person has been confirmed dead and around 20 others injured after a flight from London to Singapore experienced extreme turbulence while entering the airspace of an severe tropical thunderstorm.

Read the full story from the Daily Record.

Responding to the sad news that a passenger was killed onboard a plane that was affected by turbulence, Professor Paul Williams, University of Reading, said that turbulence fatalities on commercial flights are fortunately very rare, but have sadly increased by one today.

"Turbulence on flights can be caused by storms, mountains, and strong air currents called jet streams. In this last case, it is called clear-air turbulence, and it can be difficult to avoid because it doesn't show up on the weather radar in the flight deck," he said.

Read the full story from the Reading Chronicle.

Travel journalist shares walkthrough of damaged plane cabin.

Footage shows the damage inside a Singapore Airlines plane that hit severe turbulence before an emergency landing.

Items of hand luggage are strewn around the cabin, while gas masks and panels are seen hanging from the ceiling.

One passenger was killed and 30 injured after the flight encountered turbulence on Tuesday 21 May, flinging passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to land in Bangkok.

Read the full story from The Independent.

A passenger has died and others were injured when a flight from Heathrow Airport encountered severe turbulence on its way to Singapore.

Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure, with the pilot declaring a medical emergency and diverting the plane to Bangkok.

Experts have described turbulence as “common” and asserted that it “rarely” leads to fatalities, but what is it and how dangerous can it be?

Read the full story from PA.

Responding to reports that a British passenger has died and many others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from Heathrow hit severe turbulence, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts continue to be with all those affected, including with that individual’s family.”

The Foreign Office is understood to be on the ground to provide support and work with local authorities.

Seventy one people were admitted to hospital in Bangkok, six of whom are in a critical condition, following the turbulence on a Singapore Airlines plane, Sky News reports.

Aviation lecturer at UEL, Damian Devlin, told Yahoo News the Singapore Airlines incident may have been caused by 'clean air turbulence'.

"Atmospheric pressure, air around mountain ranges, weather fronts, and storms can cause turbulence, and there were thunderstorms in the area of the flight at the time," he said. "However, pilots will adjust their flight path to avoid or minimise its effects. This event might have been caused by the sudden and unpredictable nature of Clear-air turbulence, which has no visible indicator to radar or satellites. Pilots first become aware of it when they fly through it."

Singapore Airlines has released the nationalities of those on board the Singapore Airlines flight forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok following severe turbulence.

There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.

The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, 2 from Canada, 1 from Germany, 3 from India, 2 from Indonesia, 1 from Iceland, 4 from Ireland, 1 from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, 2 from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, 5 from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, 1 from South Korea, 2 from Spain, 47 from the UK, and 4 from the USA.

Photos and footage taken inside a Singapore Airlines flight show the devastation caused after the aircraft experienced severe turbulence. A 73-year-old British man died in the incident, with authorities saying he likely suffered a heart attack.

His wife has been admitted to a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, where the plane was forced to land after the turbulence hit. Images from inside the plane show emergency masks hanging down and damage to the ceiling.

Read the full story from Yahoo News.

Aviation consultant John Strickland told the PA news agency that “turbulence happens” but with millions of flights operated each year, incidents are “limited” and “fatalities are rare”.

He said: “Exposure is greater in different parts of the world.

“The South Atlantic, Africa and the Bay of Bengal are all places that spring to mind where there’s a greater incidence.

“There are discussions about whether climate change is influencing an increase in occurrences.”

At the time the aircraft encountered the clear air turbulence, about 90 minutes remained of the expected flight time to Singapore. It is likely that crew would have been moving around the cabin dealing with breakfast, together with a number of passengers.

Read the full story from The Independent.

Boeing has issued a statement following the severe turbulence that left seven people with serious injuries.

There was little warning of the chaos that was about to be unleashed onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321.

With around three hours left on the journey from London to Singapore, Malaysian student Dzafran Azmir got the uneasy feeling the Boeing 777-300R plane was tilting upwards and beginning to shake.

Read the full story from Reuters.

One British man died and 30 others were injured amid severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight.

The majority of people injured in the turbulence on board the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 suffered "small injuries to the head", the general manager of Bangkok Airport, Kittipong Kittikachorn said at a press conference on Tuesday.

He confirmed that an internal investigation into the incident would take place.

A 73-year-old British man died from a possible heart attack and many others were injured, seven critically, after a flight from Heathrow Airport to Singapore hit turbulence and was diverted to Thailand, the general manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport said.

Seven of the 30 people injured in the severe turbulence on flight SQ321 suffered serious injuries, Bangkok airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said at a press conference.

Those who suffered injuries in the turbulence, which saw the plane drop 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes, are being treated at nearby hospitals.

But around 100 of the passengers will make their onbound journeys today, Kittikachorn added.

The British Embassy in Bangkok has confirmed it is on the ground providing assistance to people affected by the incident.

A passenger from the Singapore Airlines flight said the majority of crew members that he saw were injured - as many of them were standing up when the turbulence hit.

"None of them were seated, they were serving food, they were tending to people... I think every single person that was crew was injured. I don't think I saw any crew member not injured," Andrew, from London, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"They were very stoic... they did all they could possibly do."

Here are some of key visuals we have of the incident so far:

One passenger, Andrew from London, spoke with BBC Radio 5 Live about what happened amid the turbulence.

Andrew said: "During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was awful screaming, it sounded like a thud and I guess it was belongings and bags hitting the roof."

He said prior to the turbulence the flight had been "smooth" with "no issues"

"The seatbelt sign came on, and as soon as I saw it I put my seatbelt on and at that very moment the plane just suddenly dropped," he said.

"The thing I remember the most was just the objects and things flying through the air, and I was covered in coffee.

"After it finished, I can't say how long it lasted for but I would guess two or three seconds... it was only when I looked behind me I realised the severity of it.

"There was a poor elderly lady with an awful gash on her head covered in blood.

"During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was awful screaming, it sounded like a thud and I guess it was belongings and bags hitting the roof."

However, he said he would be getting on another flight in several hours time to complete his journey.

"I will get on another flight... It is a very, very rare occurrence," he said.

Local media are reporting that there was a second fatality following the turbulence on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ321. However, there has been no confirmation from the airline or the local author.

Singapore Airlines has apologised to the crew and passengers on board flight SQ321, which diverted from its planned journey from London to Singapore for an emergency landing in Bangkok following severe turbulence.

"We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight," the airline said.

A passenger on board the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 has described people being flung into the ceiling as the turbulence hit.

Passenger Dzafran Azmir, 28, told Reuters: “Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.

“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it.”

The Singapore Airlines plane that re-routed to Bangkok following deadly turbulence plunged more than 6,000 feet in less than three minutes, according to data from Flightradar24.

The data show the plane was cruising at 37,000 feet, when shortly after 8am GMT it plunged down to 31,000 feet in around three minutes.

The airlines has not yet commented in detail on the turbulence other than to describe it as "severe."

A map from Flight Radar shows the planned route of Singapore Airlines SQ321 from London to Singapore before it was diverted to Bangkok.

Singapore Airlines posted a statement online confirming one person has died following "severe turbulence" on a flight from London to Singapore.