Singapore Airlines Tragedy: CEO Issues Public Apology
In a recent accident on Singapore Airlines, a passenger lost his life and others were injured. This incident created a lot of buzz and people started trolling airlines and asked the CEO to take responsibility for the incident. The investigation disclosed that the incident happened due to severe turbulence on a flight. The flight was taking off from London to Singapore when the incident occurred. Now, the CEO of Singapore Airlines has issued a public apology through a video message. The reports state that 1 passenger has perished and around 70 were injured in the incident.
The public apology video was posted on Wednesday, 22 May 2024 in which CEO, Goh Choon Phong can be heard apologizing for the human loss and traumatic experience. He said that they were “very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board the flight, SQ321, went through and the unfortunate incident that took the life of a passenger and others got injured. The reports state that the incident happened on Tuesday, 21 May 2024 when a Singapore Airlines flight, operating from London to Singapore met with sudden extreme turbulence at an altitude of 37,000 feet.
18 crew members and 211 passengers were aboard the Boeing 777-300ER plane when the incident occurred. Some tallies of the injured differed as the airline states that 18 were admitted to the hospital and 12 were getting treatment in hospitals, whereas Samitivej Hospital states it was taking care of 71 passengers. In a video message shared on Wednesday, Mr Phong states “On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through.”
He further added that Singapore Airlines is taking responsibility for the incident and is dedicated to providing all necessary assistance and support to commuters as well as crew members who were on board SQ321. The investigation of the incident is ongoing and they are giving full cooperation to the relevant authorities who are taking care of the case and investigating. He further said that whatever happened cannot be changed but Singapore Airlines is completely with the passengers and crew members.
Mr Phong said that a relief flight with 143 of the SQ321 passengers and crew members, who were able to travel, arrived in Singapore this morning. However, 6 crew members and 79 passengers onboard SQ321 including those people who are getting treated in the hospital and receiving medical care remain in Bangkok. Their family members who were on the flight also remain in Bangkok. The CEO of Singapore Airlines states “Please be assured that Singapore Airlines is here to help and support you during this difficult time.”
The plane headed to Singapore, which departed on Monday from London’s Heathrow Airport, “encountered severe turbulence” en route, according to Singapore Airlines. The reports state that the plane fell into an air pocket while the cabin crew were serving breakfast to the passengers before the incident occurred. After facing severe turbulence, the pilot made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.
The flight landed on Tuesday at 03:45 PM. Singapore Airlines states that the sudden turbulence happened over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar about ten hours into the plane. Images or pictures from the inside of the plane display the severity of the incident.
The deceased was identified as a 73-year-old British man and the cause of his death was cardiac attack. Kittipong Kittikachorn, General Manager of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi said in a press conference that apart from the deceased, 7 people were badly injured and some got head injuries. They are admitted to the hospital and receive treatment.
