Singapore Airlines turbulence: should flights have a mandatory seatbelt rule at all times?
- Experts say it is the personal responsibility of passengers to ensure they are strapped in, with an all-flight regulation difficult to enforce
- Singapore Airlines says its new processes include suspending meal services and having crew members return to their seats during turbulence
Further flight safety measures such as a mandatory seat belt rule at all times would be difficult to enforce, aviation experts say in the aftermath of a turbulence-hit Singapore Airlines flight that left one dead and dozens injured.
The wearing of seat belts was a personal responsibility and the incident would serve as a reminder to passengers, they added.
Passengers have told media outlets that the turbulence hit almost immediately after the seat belt light came on, and those who were not buckled in were thrown in the air, hitting the aircraft’s ceiling before slamming back down. Breakfast was also being served at the time.
Singapore Airlines said on Thursday that following the incident, it had “adopted a more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight”, including suspending meal services and having crew members return to their seats and put on their seat belts during an activation of the seat belt sign.
The crew would also continue to advise passengers to return to their seats and secure their seat belts, and monitor customers who may require help, including those in the lavatories, the spokeswoman added.
