‘Deeply apologise for trauma’: Singapore Airlines CEO reacts to mid-air horror

“I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling,” passenger recalls harrowing experience.

Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong on Wednesday issued a public apology after its London to Singapore flight encountered severe turbulence, causing numerous injuries and one fatality.

Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phon apologises for turbulence incident.(Singapore Airlines)

"On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased," Phong said in a video message.

Passengers taken to Singapore via relief plane

The flight, originally bound from London to Singapore on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, diverted to Bangkok after experiencing turbulent conditions that tossed passengers and crew members around the cabin, resulting in some hitting the ceiling. More than 140 passengers and crew members aboard the Boeing 777 flight arrived in Singapore on Wednesday morning, while some remained in Bangkok to receive medical aid.

A 73-year-old British passenger passed away, likely due to a heart attack, while around 30 others sustained injuries.

Phong assured that the airlines is providing “all possible assistance and support to them, along with their families and loved ones, during this difficult time”. He added that the carrier is “fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in the investigation into this incident”.

I saw people hitting ceiling: Passenger

Recalling the harrowing experience, Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old passenger, described witnessing people being flung across the aisle, hitting the ceiling.

"I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in like really awkward positions. People, like, getting massive gashes in the head, concussions," Azmir told Reuters after arriving in Singapore.

“We also deeply apologise for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight,” Phong said in the video message.