SINGAPORE — The Singapore Airlines (SIA) plane that was hit by severe turbulence on May 21, resulting in one death and dozens of injuries, has made a return to the skies.
On July 23, the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft completed a functional check flight — its first flight since returning to Singapore from Bangkok two months ago, according to data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
This was part of a series of tests being done to ensure that the plane is ready to re-enter commercial service, an SIA spokesman told The Straits Times.
Functional check flights are typically performed after an aircraft undergoes heavy maintenance, to make sure that everything on the plane works as it should.
According to FlightRadar24, the plane took off from Changi Airport at about 1.50pm, flying about 400km eastward.
It then made several rounds over the waters near Kalimantan in Indonesia, before returning to Singapore at about 4pm.
SIA said the functional check flight was operated by its pilots, who were accompanied by a team of the airline's engineers.
The airline said safety remains its top priority, and the plane will return to service only after it has been declared operationally ready by the carrier's engineering and flight operations teams.
SIA said repairs to the 16-year-old plane's cabin have been completed.
Images and videos that circulated online after the London-to-Singapore Flight SQ321 experienced sudden extreme turbulence over Myanmar on May 21 showed damage to some of the ceiling panels in the plane's cabin that left internal tubing exposed and dangling.
The plane, which was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members at the time, diverted to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.
A British passenger, 73-year-old Geoffrey Kitchen, died of a suspected heart attack.
Many others suffered serious injuries and were taken to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital and Bangkok Hospital for treatment.
In an update on July 23, SIA said two passengers are still receiving medical care in a Bangkok hospital, but could not provide more details due to confidentiality.
On June 10, SIA sent compensation offers to the flight's passengers.
Those who had minor injuries were offered US$10,000 (S$13,500).
Passengers with more serious injuries were offered US$25,000 as an advance payment, ahead of individual discussions over the final compensation amount. Due to privacy concerns, SIA declined to say how many have accepted these offers and how much compensation has been given out so far.
Similarly, it cited confidentiality of HR matters when declining to give updates on the status of the crew who were on board and how many have returned to work. "SIA is committed to providing all necessary support and assistance to the passengers and crew members who were on board SQ321," it said.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
