Singapore Airlines boss ‘deeply saddened’ over death of British man on flight

Singapore Airlines chief Goh Choon Phong said he offered his ‘deepest condolences’ to Geoff Kitchen’s family.

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 plane taxis to the southern runway at Heathrow Airport (Steve Parsons/PA) (PA Archive)

The chief executive of Singapore Airlines has apologised after a British man died following severe turbulence on the carrier’s flight from Heathrow Airport.

It comes as tributes have been paid to 73-year-old Geoff Kitchen, who suffered a suspected heart attack on the flight, according to a spokesman for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane was diverted to.

The spokesman added that seven other people were seriously hurt and dozens more suffered minor injuries.

In a video statement posted on Facebook, Singapore Airlines chief Goh Choon Phong said he offered his “deepest condolences” to Mr Kitchen’s family.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident,” he said.

“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.

“We are fully co-operating with the relevant authorities on the investigations.”

He said some 79 passengers and six crew members are receiving medical treatment in Bangkok and a relief flight carrying the remaining passengers and crew members arrived in Singapore early on Wednesday.

Thornbury Musical Theatre Group (TMTG) in Bristol paid tribute to Mr Kitchen in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening.

The post said: “It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident.

“Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.

“His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including chairman, treasurer and most recently secretary.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy.”

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said it was supporting the family of the passenger and was in contact with local authorities.

Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000ft about 10 hours after departure, with the pilot declaring a medical emergency and diverting the plane to Bangkok.

One passenger on board Flight SQ321 to Singapore said the plane suffered a “dramatic drop”, meaning people not wearing a seatbelt were “launched immediately into the ceiling”.

Another passenger, Jerry, who was travelling to his son’s wedding, told the BBC the day was “the worst of my life”.

Speaking with a bandage covering part of his head, he said: “Things were going very smoothly at first. I’d just been to the loo, came back, sat down, bit of turbulence, and suddenly the plane plunged.

“I don’t know how far, but it was a long way. (It was) so sudden, there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, my wife did.

“Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible, and then suddenly it stopped and it was calm again, and the staff did their best to tend to the injured people.

“There were a lot of them and some of the staff are injured themselves, so they did a sterling job.”

Images posted on social media showed damage to the ceiling of the cabin, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn on the floor after the incident.

The 16-year-old Boeing 777 left Heathrow at 10.17pm on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday.

There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board – including 47 passengers from the UK and four Irish nationals.

Very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling

Passenger Dzafran Azmir

Flightradar24 said its tracking data showed the plane encountering turbulence at approximately 8.49am BST while flying over Myanmar.

The flight tracking service said data sent from the aircraft showed a “rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”, adding that there were “some severe” thunderstorms in the area at the time.

Aviation consultant John Strickland told the PA news agency that “turbulence happens” but even with millions of flights each year, incidents are “limited” and “fatalities are rare”.

He said: “Exposure is greater in different parts of the world.

“The South Atlantic, Africa and the Bay of Bengal are all places that spring to mind where there’s a greater incidence.

“There are discussions about whether climate change is influencing an increase in occurrences.”

Mr Strickland said airlines use a variety of methods to minimise the chances of a flight being affected by turbulence, such as weather forecasts, radar and reports from aircraft ahead.

A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: “Our deepest condolences go out to all those who have been affected.

“Accidents of this nature are extremely rare and aviation remains one of the safest forms of travel.”