Singapore Airlines offers to pay turbulence victims

By João da Silva, BBC Business reporter

Singapore Airlines has offered to pay compensation to those who were injured on a London to Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence.

In a social media post, the airline said it was offering to pay US$10,000 (NZ$16,000) to those who sustained minor injuries.

For passengers with more serious injuries, the airline is providing “an advance payment of $25,000 to address their immediate needs” and further discussions to meet “their specific circumstances”.

One British passenger died and dozens more were injured when flight SQ321 encountered turbulence over Myanmar and was diverted to Thailand in May.

Early investigations showed that the plane accelerated rapidly up and down, and dropped around 54m over 4.6 seconds. Those without seatbelts were thrown out of their seats, leading to injuries.

There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at the time of the incident.

The company said it would offer a full fare refund to all passengers on the flight, including those who did not suffer any injuries.

On top of this, Singapore Airlines said passengers would receive delay compensation in accordance with European Union or United Kingdom regulations.

The airline also offered S$1000 (NZ$1200) to all passengers to cover immediate expenses and it arranged for loved ones to fly to the Thai capital where requested.

– BBC