Hong Kong —
Singapore Airlines has extended compensation offers to passengers injured in last month’s severe turbulence-affected flight that left numerous people injured and one person dead.
The carrier stated on Tuesday in a Facebook post that passengers who had less serious injuries have each been offered $10,000 in compensation, while those who suffered more serious injuries have been invited to consider an offer.
“An advance payment of US$25,000 is offered to passengers who are medically assessed as having sustained serious injuries, requiring long-term medical care, and requesting financial assistance to address their immediate needs,” the airline stated in a statement. “This will be included in the total amount of compensation that these travelers will get.”
It further stated that all travelers on the May 20 flight SQ321, which departs from London for Singapore, will receive a refund for the price of their tickets.
The Boeing 777-300ER encountered turbulence when passing over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin almost ten hours into the journey and halfway through the food service.
According to Thai officials, Geoff Kitchen, a 73-year-old British man, passed away from what appeared to be a heart ailment. After the incident, the aircraft was rerouted to Bangkok.
About ten passengers were still hospitalized in Thailand more than two weeks after the trip, according to a story published last Thursday by Singapore-based station Channel News Asia. A couple of them had been transported home via air ambulances.
Australian publication The Advertiser said on Sunday that Kerry Jordan, one of the passengers, is paralyzed from the chest down.
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FlightRadar24, an aviation tracking website, provided data that showed the aircraft making a sharp dipping motion, followed by a swift ascent of several hundred feet, another dip and climb, and then a final return to its cruise altitude. Based on the data, the entire disruption lasted approximately ninety seconds.
When an aircraft passes between colliding air masses traveling at drastically different speeds, turbulence results.
Flight SQ321 most likely met quickly developing thunderstorms over southern Myanmar around the period that strong turbulence was observed.