Aviation: Singapore Airlines will compensate those injured by turbulence

Singapore Airlines announced on Tuesday that it had offered compensation of $10,000 (8,966 francs) to passengers who suffered minor injuries on a flight subjected to violent turbulence last month, and that it would discuss higher sums with those who were seriously injured.

Passengers who suffered more serious injuries were “invited to discuss a compensation offer tailored to their specific situation when they feel well and ready to do so,” the airline said in a statement.

A 73-year-old British man died and more than a hundred people were injured, some in the spine and skull, on a flight from London that made an emergency landing in Bangkok after experiencing turbulence exceptional at the end of May.

Dozens of hospitalizations

The Boeing 777, bound for Singapore, was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, dozens of whom were hospitalized. “Passengers who have suffered serious injuries, require long-term medical care and require financial assistance, are offered an advance of $25,000 (22,415 francs) to meet their immediate needs,” specifies Singapore Airlines.

“This sum will form part of the final compensation these passengers will receive.” The company will also reimburse the plane tickets of all passengers on the traumatic flight, including those who were not injured.

“All passengers will also receive delay compensation in accordance with European Union or United Kingdom regulations,” the carrier said. Under the Montreal Convention, airlines are liable for damages caused by the injury or death of passengers on board an aircraft.

1800 meter dive

Singapore Airlines has already offered 1,000 Singapore dollars (662 francs) to each passenger on the flight leaving Bangkok after the incident to cover their immediate expenses. She also covered the medical expenses of injured passengers and organized travel for their loved ones to Bangkok, for those who requested it.

The Boeing 777-300ER plunged 1,800 meters in just a few minutes so suddenly that passengers said they did not have time to fasten their seat belts. The plane experienced a “rapid change” in gravitational force over southern Myanmar, according to a preliminary report from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, cited by the Transport Ministry.

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AFP

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