One person died and more than 20 others were injured on a Singapore Airlines plane which experienced severe turbulence during its journey from London to Singapore and had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday.
At 3:45 p.m. local time in Thailand (4:45 a.m. in Quebec), the Boeing operating flight SQ321 to Singapore landed at Suvarnabhumi airport and ambulances rushed to the plane, sirens blaring and flashing lights on. .
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one death on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members,” the airline said on Facebook.
She added that 30 people were taken to hospital and 12 of them required treatment, but she did not specify the severity of their injuries or whether the person who died was a passenger or a member of the crew.
This is the latest incident involving a Boeing plane, following the explosion of a fuselage panel of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX in January, as well as two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Flight SQ321 took off from London’s Heathrow Airport and encountered “severe turbulence” en route, Singapore Airlines said.
“We sincerely apologize for the traumatic experience experienced by our passengers and crew members on this flight. We provide all necessary assistance during this difficult period,” the airline assured.
Flight tracking data indicates the plane fell more than 1,800 meters in just five minutes over the Andaman Sea.
The incident occurred as parts of Thailand were hit by thunderstorms at the start of the rainy season.
“At 3:35 p.m., the airport received a distress call from the Singapore Airlines flight indicating that there were passengers on board injured by turbulence and requesting an emergency landing,” Suvarnabhumi Airport said in a statement.
Boeing’s troubles
The airport statement described the deceased passenger as a “foreigner” (non-Thai).
Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident and offered his condolences to the deceased’s family.
The American aviation giant Boeing is shaken by multiple crises linked to production and quality control problems.
It announced in March the departure of its CEO, Dave Calhoun, at the end of the year and which has been the subject of increased attention in recent months from authorities, regulators and the judiciary. especially.
This change at the head of the aircraft manufacturer is the consequence of the in-flight incident on a new Alaska Airlines plane on January 5, the last straw after a series of production problems in 2023 affecting the 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner.
Two fatal crashes, in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, which killed a total of 346 people, led to a lengthy grounding of the 737 MAX fleet around the world.
By May 28, Boeing must submit to the American aviation regulator, the FAA – which has frozen production of the 737 MAX indefinitely – a “comprehensive action plan” to remedy the numerous non-compliance problems. .
In July, the US Department of Justice must decide whether or not to launch criminal proceedings.
At the same time, Boeing must negotiate with the International Union of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) the collective agreement which will replace the one expiring in September.