One passenger has died and dozens more have reportedly been injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London Heathrow was hit by severe turbulence.
The plane, which took off from Heathrow on Monday night, was forced to divert from its destination to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier today.
It had been due to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 6:10pm local time (11:10am UK time).
The plane plunged from 38,000ft to 31,000ft in just minutes over the west coast of Myanmar, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.
Images shared online have showed ambulances lined up on the tarmac in Thailand as well as food and cutlery scattered across the aisles of the Boeing aircraft.
In a statement shared to Facebook, Singapore Airlines said: “Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 21 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time (9:45am UK time).
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.
“We will provide regular updates on our Facebook and X accounts”.
Singapore Airlines has had seven accidents, according to records by the Aviation Safety Network, while the airline’s last fatalities were in October 2000 when a plane crashed on a closed runway during takeoff at Taiwan, killing 83 people.
In-flight turbulence is common on many routes, but deaths and serious injuries coming from it are rare.
However, travelers have been warned by climatologists to brace for more flight delays and cancellations as well as more frequent and more severe turbulence due to climate change, especially on routes over the planet’s fast-warming oceans.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.