Singapore Airlines CEO apologises for 'traumatic experience'

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Officials from the British and Malaysian embassies have visited the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok on Wednesday to check on those injured from the flight, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Sixty-one of those injured are receiving treatment there while 10 have been transferred to other hospitals, the report said.

The British officials were reportedly taken to the ninth floor where the intensive care unit, and paediatric surgery and bone marrow transport wards are located.

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Singapore Airlines has a good safety record and has consistently been ranked one of the world's safest carriers.

Australia-based aviation safety agency AirlineRatings has given it safety and product scores of 7/7. In January this year, it ranked Singapore Airlines 13th safest out of a list of 385 different airlines. This however was a drop from fifth place in 2023.

The agency assesses airline safety based on whether the airline has experienced a fatal crash in the last five years, whether it has suffered "serious pilot-related incidents" and whether it has passed all the major audits.

Passengers filmed themselves as they walked through SQ321 to disembark. Their footage shows a cabin in disarray. Items can be seen strewn across the floor, oxygen masks hang from the ceiling and an overhead panel appears to be damaged. One woman holds what appears to be a piece of cloth to her head.

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Geoff Kitchen, who died of a suspected heart attack on the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence, was "a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity", an English theatre group Mr Kitchen helped run had said.

"[He] always did what was right for the group," Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in South Gloucestershire said in a statement.

It added that the 73-year-old served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices including chairman, treasurer and most recently, secretary.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time," it added.

UK authorities have said they are supporting Mr Kitchen's family members.

Earlier this morning, we heard Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong apologising for the incident.

In case you missed it, Goh offered his “deepest apologies to everyone affected” by the “sudden extreme turbulence” they experienced on the airline’s London-Singapore flight which departed on Monday.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident,” Goh said in a video posted to social media.

He also offered his “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones” of Geoff Kitchen, the British man who died during the incident.

“We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” he added.

Airport authorities in Thailand's capital say they will stop providing updates on the turbulence incident today as they have concluded their emergency mission.

Seventy-nine passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok, some of whom are receiving medical treatment for injuries.

Six people reportedly suffered severe injuries, while 39 have moderate injuries.

We're reaching out to the hospitals in Bangkok and will bring you updates as we get them.

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It's a little past noon here in Singapore. If you are just joining us, here are the developments in the last few hours:

• Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong has apologised for the "traumatic experience" of those on board SQ321, which encountered severe turbulence yesterday
• Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has promised a "thorough investigation" into the incident that left one person dead and dozens others hurt
• Singapore's transport ministry has deployed investigators to Bangkok, where the Singapore-bound flight from London made an emergency landing.
• The US has also sent representatives to Bangkok to help with the investigation

• British media has named Geoff Kitchen as the man who died during severe turbulence
• The 73-year-old died of a suspected heart attack

• A separate flight carrying 143 passengers and crew who were not seriously injured arrived in Singapore from Bangkok early Wednesday morning
• Seventy-nine passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok. Some of them are receiving medical treatment for injuries

• This is Singapore Airlines' first fatal incident in 24 years

We'll bring you the latest updates as we get them.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has posted a statement on Instagram promising a "thorough investigation" into the incident, a few hours after 143 passengers and crew were flown back to Singapore from Bangkok early this morning.

Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau will conduct a "thorough investigation", he said.

"My deepest condolences once again to the family and loved ones of the deceased. I also hope and pray that those who are injured will recover and return home soon," he said.

This incident is one of the biggest incidents Mr Wong has had to face just a week into his role as Singapore's new leader.

Dzafran Azmir, a passenger on SQ321, says the turbulence caught many by surprise. He says those who were asleep “really suffered a lot” because they were unable to respond.

Azmir was wearing his seatbelt when the turbulence hit.

Reflecting on our night in Singapore's Changi Airport, it was a well organised operation with lots of Singapore Airlines and airport staff on the ground taking care of passengers. The staff steered passengers clear of the media and curious members of the public and quickly ushered them directly to the buses and taxis that have been arranged for them.

There were also dozens of staff and security officials manning the barricades. Within minutes of the last passenger leaving the terminal, staff were already packing up and putting away the metal barriers that lined half the length of the terminal.

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Earlier, Singapore Airlines provided details on the diverse nationalities of those on the flight, which reflect Changi Airport's role as a major aviation hub in Asia.

Seventy-nine passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok. Some of them are receiving medical treatment for injuries.

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More pictures are coming in showing the damage on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, which was caused by extreme turbulence.

Debris was scattered in the gallery of the plane because of the incident, which has left one dead and dozens injured.

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Aircraft are designed to take the worst that turbulence can throw at them, says qualified commercial pilot Guy Gratton, who is an associate professor of aviation and the environment at Cranfield University.

It’s "unlikely" turbulence will ever destroy an aircraft, he says.

Nonetheless, it doesn't do an aircraft any good, which is why pilots try to avoid it or slow turn away from the turbulence, while turning the seatbelt sign on.

Turbulence can be dangerous to people when severe because of the violent motion it can cause, which can throw anyone who is not wearing a seatbelt across the cabin.

Aviation safety experts say deaths and injuries resulting from turbulence remain rare.

John Strickland, an aviation expert, says injuries from severe turbulence are "relatively rare" in the context of the millions of flights that are operated.

• You can read more about it in our flight turbulence explainer here.

Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said 79 passengers and six crew members - some of whom are receiving medical treatment for injuries - are still in Bangkok where the plane made an emergency landing.

Goh also offered his “deepest apologies to everyone affected” by the “sudden extreme turbulence” they experienced on the airline’s London-Singapore flight which departed on Monday.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident,” Goh Choon Phong said in a video posted to social media.

He also offered his “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones” of Geoff Kitchen, the British man who died during the incident.

“We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” he added.

A passenger on board the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 told BBC 5 Live that a "perfectly normal" trip descended into terror.

Andrew, from London, said the plane "suddenly dropped" moments after the signs instructing passengers to put their seatbelts on lit up, sending objects flying around the cabin and leaving him covered in coffee.

He described the turbulence as "incredibly severe" and unlike anything he has experienced during his years of flying for business.

While the plane's fall only seemed to last for a few seconds, the scene afterwards was "surreal", Andrew said.

He recalled seeing an "elderly lady with an awful gash on her head covered in blood", while another woman was "screaming in agony with a bad back".

Andrew said he was sitting close to the British man who died of a suspected heart attack, and saw another man who was so badly injured he had to lie on the floor for the remainder of the flight.

If you're just joining our coverage, here is a summary of what we have learned about the Singapore Airlines incident throughout the last several hours.

• The UK Foreign Office is supporting the family of British man Geoff Kitchen, 73, who died on board a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday.
• A local theatre group he helped run named him on Monday, in a statement shared on Facebook. Kitchen was described as a "gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity".
• Flight SQ321 from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, after more than 30 passengers were injured during "severe extreme turbulence".

• Seven people received critical injuries after the plane dropped through the air, sending people and objects flying around the cabin
• Witnesses have described scenes of terror and panic on board, with one person saying some passengers were left "screaming in agony".
• A flight carrying 143 passengers and crew who were not seriously injured has just arrived in Singapore from Bangkok in the last few minutes
• Investigators from Singapore and the US - where Boeing, the manufacture of the plane involved, is based - have deployed officials to look into the circumstances of the incident

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The Australian government says eight Australians are among the injured in the Singapore Airlines flight that suffered turbulence on Monday.

Earlier, the airline said more than 30 people had been injured.

The London-Singapore flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members when it experienced severe turbulence and had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.

In total, 56 Australians were on board - the largest number of people from one nationality (as we reported earlier on).

Earlier, we spoke to the father of a Singaporean passenger who has just arrived back in the country.

Chiew says his 22-year-old son was in London on holiday visiting his girlfriend, who was studying there on an exchange programme. The pair were flying back to Singapore on SQ321 when turbulence hit.

He told the BBC: "My son was on his way to the restroom, while his girlfriend was seated. Both are okay.

"He said he wasn't injured, he was all right - but he's a bit bruised, he was thrown all over the place."

He said his son had messaged him yesterday afternoon to say he had landed in Bangkok after the flight was diverted.

"When he told us we were shocked, we didn't know the severity of his injuries. I told him to get a check-up, to check his head for possible concussions."

He said he was looking forward to seeing his son.

"We're blessed that he's well and so is his girlfriend. But when something like this happens, you don't know until you look at him physically. We're going straight home, he needs the rest."