SIA confirms arrival of 143 passengers and crew from SQ321 flight

Another 79 passengers and 6 crew members remain in Thailand.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) confirmed that 131 passengers and 12 crew members on board the SQ321 flight had arrived in Singapore via a relief flight on 22 May, 5:05 AM SGT.

The flight– which operates from London Heathrow to Singapore– diverted to Bangkok after encountering sudden extreme turbulence over Irrawady Basin. One passenger had been confirmed dead and not less than 30 were injured.

The remaining 79 passengers and 6 crew members from the SQ321 flight remain in Thailand, SIA stated. These individuals are receiving medical care or are the injured’s family members and loved ones.

SIA said that it has arranged transportation or hotel accommodation for the passengers and crew who have arrived in Singapore.

SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong reportedly met the affected passengers at Changi Airport.

In a separate statement, Goh expressed his sadness over the incident.

“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,” Goh stated.

On 21 May, approximately 10 hours after departure, flight SQ321 operating from London Heathrow to Singapore encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin at an altitude of of 37,000 feet.

A total of 211 passengers were on board, of which 56 are from Australia, 47 are from the UK, 41 are Singaporeans, 23 are from New Zealand, 16 are from Malaysia, 5 are from the Philippines, 4 are from the US, 4 are from Ireland, and 3 are from India. 

Other passengers are from Canada (2), Indonesia (2), Spain (2), Myanmar (2), Germany (1), Iceland (1), South Korea (1), and Israel (1).

The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Bangkok, landing at 3:45PM local time.