Passenger Dies After London-Singapore Flight Hits Turbulence

Above: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-312ER arrives at Los Angeles International Airport on December 29, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Image copyright: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • A British man, aged 73, has died from a suspected cardiac arrest after a Singapore Airlines flight from London's Heathrow to Singapore encountered "sudden extreme turbulence" on Tuesday.

  • The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the Boeing 777-300ER to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, landing about 10 hours after its departure.


The Spin

Narrative A

Turbulence-related deaths may be extremely rare, but this tragic mid-air incident must serve as a warning that severe clean-air turbulence has become more frequent and intense with climate change. As the atmosphere warms, the skies get bumpier. If climate change continues, air travel will become costlier and more dangerous.

Narrative B

Climate change has long been a general scapegoat for mainstream media outlets, so it's hardly a surprise that they have quickly jumped to use the tragic death of an elderly passenger from a heart attack during this flight turbulence to support their bad faith alarmism. Climate change does not aggravate turbulence on flights.


Metaculus Prediction