Singapore Airlines has agreed to compensate passengers for injuries sustained during a flight from London to Singapore that hit severe turbulence.
The incident happened in May after flight SQ 321 encountered rough air over Myanmar. Passengers and air crew slammed into the plane’s ceiling as it plunged 54 metres in just five seconds.
A 73-year-old British passenger died and dozens more were injured as a result of the terrifying ordeal. In a Facebook post, the airline announced it will pay out US$10,000 (£7,800) to those who sustained minor injuries.
A initial sum of US$25,000 (£19,654) will also be paid to those who suffered more serious injuries to help them “address their immediate needs”.
Further discussions will continue to find solutions that will meet “their specific conditions,” the airline added. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board the Boeing 777-300ER – including many from the UK, Australia and Singapore.
The plane was forced to divert to Bangkok in Thailand, where over 100 people were treated in hospital for spinal cord, head and muscle injuries.
Early investigations showed that the plane accelerated rapidly up and down, and dropped around 178ft (54m) over 4.6 seconds. Singapore Airlines said it would refund tickets for all passengers, irrespective of whether they were injured or not.
At the time of the incident, the airline offered US$739 (£580) to all passengers to cover immediate expenses and arranged for loved ones to fly to the Thai capital where requested.
Under international regulations, airlines must offer compensation when passengers are injured or die while on a plane.
The British man who died in the incident was named as Geoff Kitchen from Gloucestershire. The 73-year-old suffered a heart attack after the freak incident and was treated by the crew.
Despite their best efforts to resuscitate him, they were unable to save him.
