SIA flight hit by turbulence; 22 hurt

Eight passengers and 14 crew members were injured on Saturday (Oct 18) when a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Singapore to Mumbai was hit by turbulence on descent.

An SIA statement said: "Singapore Airlines flight SQ424 from Singapore to Mumbai experienced sudden turbulence during descent on 18 October. There were 408 passengers and 25 crew on board."

"Eight passengers and 14 crew sustained injuries and were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at Mumbai Airport. Of the 14 crew, 10 required hospitalisation. They have been cleared and discharged by the medical personnel. All 8 passengers were hospitalised and 6 have been discharged by the medical personnel after examination," it added.

"Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers and crew. Singapore Airlines will provide full assistance to the authorities in their investigations," said the statement.

A passenger on the flight told Channel NewsAsia that his experience on SQ424 was "scary".

Harsh Nayyar, 30, from Australia was travelling to Mumbai to visit his family when the plane hit turbulence. In a Facebook post on the SIA page, he described the incident as "the plane losing altitude in the air". He also said that during the turbulence, passengers in the main deck, including cabin crew, "were thrown into the air" and "hit the roof of the plane".

He added that throughout the ordeal, the pilot "did not speak any word as to what had happened until the end."

SIA acknowledged Mr Nayyar's comments on its Facebook page and said that "investigations are underway". Information regarding the incident will be released "as soon as it is available", the airline added.

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12 injured by turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight

A dozen people were injured when a Cathay Pacific jumbo jet hit "rollercoaster" turbulence over northern Japan, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Boeing 747-400, carrying 321 passengers and 21 crew, was rocked by "sudden turbulence" when it flew over Hokkaido prefecture on Tuesday, the South China Morning Post reported.

Cathay Pacific confirmed to AFP that two crew members were injured along with a number of passengers, without confirming the newspaper's figure.

The flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong landed at the southern Chinese city's airport at 6.26pm local time to be greeted by a fleet of ambulances and emergency vehicles.

One of the injured was taken to hospital on a stretcher.

The turbulence was "more intense than riding a rollercoaster", a passenger was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

The airline said medical assistance was provided to the injured on board before the flight landed.

"Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department has been informed of the incident, and we are collaborating with the authority on the investigation," the spokesman said.

Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong's flagship airline.

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12 hurt on SIA flight due to turbulence

Eleven passengers and a crew member sustained minor injuries following turbulence on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ308 experienced turbulence en route from Singapore to London on Sunday.

An SIA spokesperson said 11 passengers and one crew member sustained minor injuries when the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude.

They were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at Heathrow Airport.

Channel NewsAsia understands there were a total of 328 passengers and 26 crew on board the Airbus A380.

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Well this is the reason why it is strongly recommended that you stay buckled throughout the flight unless there's a need to go somewhere else like the lavatory. Clear air turbulence ca't be detected and can hit you out of nowhere, with the aircraft losing altitude abruptly and violently.