Singapore airlines adopts new safety rules after deadly in-flight turbulence

• Severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight resulted in spinal surgeries for passengers and one fatality
• Twenty-two passengers suffered spinal cord injuries; six, including a toddler, had brain and skull injuries
• Singapore Airlines has introduced new safety measures, including changes to in-flight service protocols during turbulence

Severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight has resulted in significant injuries to passengers, including spinal and brain injuries, with some requiring spinal surgeries, according to a Bangkok hospital. The turbulence, which occurred at 37,000 feet over the Irrawaddy Basin, injured nearly 60 passengers and led to the death of a 73-year-old British passenger, Geoffrey Kitchen, likely due to a heart attack. Among the injured, twenty-two passengers suffered spinal cord injuries, and six, including a two-year-old, sustained brain and skull injuries.

Twenty of the injured are in intensive care, though their conditions are not life-threatening. The oldest patient is 83, while the youngest, a two-year-old, suffered a concussion. Forty patients are currently being treated at a Bangkok hospital, and 65 passengers along with two crew members remain in Bangkok after the flight made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

In response to this incident, Singapore Airlines has announced a new safety protocol. The airline will halt in-flight meal service when the seatbelt sign is on and will not serve hot drinks during turbulence. Crew members will also be required to fasten their seatbelts during these periods. Despite these changes, the new policy does not mandate that passengers wear seatbelts throughout the entire flight. Ron Bartsch, a former safety chief at Qantas Airways, commented that permanent seatbelt restrictions are not common due to the rarity of severe turbulence causing deaths and serious injuries.