Severe Turbulence On Singapore Airlines Flight From London To Singapore Leaves One Dead, Several Injured

One person has died following a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from London to Singapore that encountered severe turbulence on Tuesday.

What Happened: The flight, SQ321, took off from London’s Heathrow Airport at 10:38 p.m. local time on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok on Tuesday. It landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 p.m. local time (4:45 p.m. Singapore time), reported Channel News Asia.

SIA confirmed the fatality and injuries on board the Boeing 777-300ER. The airline is working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance and is sending a team to Bangkok to offer further support. The deceased’s nationality and whether the person was a passenger or crew member has not been disclosed yet.

“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board,” said SIA.

See Also: Trump Vs Biden: Poll Reveals Surprise Preference For One Candidate Over Other When It Comes To Economy

SIA has also advised those at Changi Airport to assist SQ321 passengers to proceed to any information counter for help. Singapore’s Minister for Transport, Chee Hong Tat, expressed condolences to the deceased’s family.

Why It Matters: This incident comes when Boeing has been under intense scrutiny for safety issues. The company has faced a series of mishaps, including a fuselage blowout on an Alaska Air Group Inc. flight in January 2024, leading to a criminal investigation by the Justice Department. This has prompted U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to emphasize the need for rigorous assessments of Boeing to ensure airline safety.

Boeing’s production of 737 MAX jetliners has also been significantly affected by increased factory inspections and a slowdown on the assembly line near Seattle, following the blowout incident. The FAA has implemented a production limit of 38 jets per month, but the monthly production rate has been fluctuating well below this level.

These safety concerns have led to a Senate subcommittee’s decision to investigate fresh safety allegations regarding Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The FAA is looking into claims by a whistleblower and engineer that the Dreamliner could potentially disintegrate due to improperly assembled parts of the plane’s main body.

Read Next: This Important Evidence Could Determine Donald Trump’s Fate In His Hush-Money Trial

Image Via Shutterstock

This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors