MEAL services on Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights will no longer be suspended automatically when the seat belt sign lights up, unless pilots deem it necessary.
The national carrier has reverted to standard in-flight procedures 10 weeks after a man died and dozens were injured on the turbulence-hit Flight SQ321.
An SIA spokesperson told The Straits Times that the airline on Aug 1 ended a safety time-out that was imposed after the turbulence incident on May 21.
This means hot beverages, including soup, will continue to not be served when the seat belt sign is switched on, but the rest of the meal and drink service can carry on at the discretion of the crew. This was not the case under the tighter rules.
Under the stricter protocols, cabin crew also had to sit down and fasten their seat belts when the seat belt sign was lit. Now, the pilots may ask cabin crew to return to their seats and suspend service where necessary.
The carrier said its pilots will continue to decide whether to suspend or continue with in-flight service, depending on their assessment of weather and operational conditions.
SIA took a more cautious approach to managing turbulence in the air shortly after the SQ321 incident. Reports about the modified service routines came out on May 23, two days after the embattled flight from London to Singapore, which experienced sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar during breakfast service.
Following the incident, SIA said stricter safety measures were taken as a precaution, and gave the company time to thoroughly review its turbulence management protocols, which it has verified to be in line with industry best practices.
Over the last four weeks, all the airline’s pilots and cabin crew have undergone additional refresher courses to reinforce these procedures, covering topics like how to recognise and handle risks associated with turbulence and how to assist passengers during such instances.
A total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members were on board the Boeing 777-300ER plane that was hit by turbulence on May 21, which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
As of yesterday, two passengers from that flight were still receiving medical care in a Bangkok hospital. — The Straits Times/ANN
