Singapore PM promises ‘thorough investigation’ after severe turbulence on flight from London.

Lawrence Wong offered his condolences to the family of Geoffrey Kitchen who died during the Singapore Airlines flight that left others critically injured

Singapore’s prime minister has promised a “thorough investigation” after a British passenger died and six people were critically injured during turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London.

Confirming that 131 passengers and 12 crew had now safely landed in Singapore on a different plane, Lawrence Wong offered his condolences to the family of 73-year-old grandfather, Geoffrey Kitchen, who died. According to Thai authorities, he had a heart condition and probably had a heart attack.

“I also hope and pray that those who are injured will recover and return home soon,” Wong said.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 hit “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar 10 hours into its journey on Tuesday, abruptly rising and plunging several times.

Rattled passengers and crew told of a “dramatic drop” of 6,000ft (1,800 metres) in about three minutes, which launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2024/05/singapore_airlines_flight_path/giv-13425yJ9k64wd2DMV/

As they arrived in Singapore on Wednesday, one passenger said people were thrown around the cabin so violently they put dents in the ceiling, leaving dozens with head injuries.

Photos from inside the plane show the cabin in chaos, strewn with food, drinks bottles and luggage, and with oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.

The plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, made an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, where medical staff used gurneys to ferry the injured to ambulances waiting on the tarmac.

The airport in the Thai capital said that in total, 83 passengers and crew were hurt.

Relieved relatives greeted the arrivals in Singapore with hugs, but many were too shaken to talk to waiting reporters.

Singapore is sending investigators to Bangkok to probe the incident and Wong posted on Facebook that they were “working closely with Thai authorities.”

Of the passengers, 56 were Australians, 47 British and 41 Singaporeans, according to the airline.

“In terms of exactly what happened, it’s too early to tell. But I think passengers are too casual on board commercial aircraft,” US-based aerospace safety expert Anthony Brickhouse told AFP.

“The moment the captain turns off the seatbelt sign, people literally unbuckle.”

British passenger Andrew Davies told the BBC that “the plane suddenly dropped” at the very moment a seatbelt sign came on.

Scientists have warned of increased turbulence, particularly “clear air turbulence” which is harder to detect or forecast, as global heating warms air at higher altitudes and makes weather more unpredictable.

A 2023 study found the annual duration of clear air turbulence increased 17% from 1979 to 2020, with the most severe cases increasing more than 50%.

What is turbulence and how can planes avoid it?

Broadly, it is caused by the meeting of air at different temperatures, pressure or velocity, where different wind patterns collide – a bit like boats suddenly encountering choppy waters.

While some weather and geographical conditions, such as thunderstorms, mountain ranges and the appearance of certain clouds, can signal turbulence ahead, there is also “clear-air turbulence”, which can take plane pilots by surprise and occur without warning.

Stuart Fox, director of flight and technical operations at the global airline body Iata, says forecasts showing incoming weather fronts or the air flow over mountains could demonstrate a higher probability of clear-air turbulence. “But you can’t see it,” he says. “Airflow strength and direction can change rapidly, and the forecasts can only indicate the likelihood.” Such wind shears can knock planes off course, lose altitude quickly or lurch violently.

Pilots can now be steered by reports from aircraft ahead. Iata hosts a platform used by a number of rival carriers to exchange data, Fox says: “It gives immediate information for people who could be flying into the same turbulence.”

But while areas such as the Bay of Bengal are well known for turbulence, pilots’ options may be limited, says Marco Chan, a former commercial pilot and lecturer in aviation at Buckinghamshire New University. He says the Singapore Airlines incident took place “within the inter-tropical convergence zone, where thunderstorms are notorious. Thunderstorms are prominently displayed on the pilots’ navigation display – but it may not be possible to completely circumvent the storm cluster as they can stretch well over 50 nautical miles.”

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report