S’pore Airlines drops meal service

FE Team | Published: May 24, 2024 21:10:37

SEOUL, May 24 (Reuters): Singapore Airlines has changed its in-flight seatbelt rules and altered at least one flight route after a turbulence incident this week killed one person and left dozens critically injured, according to the airline and flight data.
The airline is adopting a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt sign is on, it said in a statement to Singapore broadcaster Channel News Asia.
"SIA will continue to review our processes, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance," it said.
The airline did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The SQ321 London-Singapore flight on a Boeing 777-300ER plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday after the plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling.
Singapore investigators have started examining data obtained from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, Singapore Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on Friday.
The daily London to Singapore route SQ321 has completed two flights since the incident and has not flown over the part of Myanmar where the sudden turbulence occurred about three hours before scheduled landing. The flight time is about the same, tracking data show.
They flew instead over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, route data from flight tracker FlightRadar 24 showed.
Line chart with data from FlightRadar24 shows the vertical speed of Singapore Airlines flight SQ 321 from London to Singapore when it encountered severe turbulence on May 21.
Singapore Airlines has said the plane on Tuesday encountered sudden extreme turbulence. A 73-year-old British passenger died of a suspected heart attack.