CNA Deep Dive Podcast: When flights run into trouble, how much money should you get? SQ 321

On 21 May 2024, Singapore Airlines flight SQ 321 encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar while on its way to Singapore from London. At the material time, some passengers did not have their seatbelts fastened. As a result of the incident, one passenger died and many others were injured. The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok.

In the weeks that followed, SIA made compensation offers to its passengers. For those considering legal action, one question that came up was which jurisdiction to sue in. Speaking to CNA, Chooi Jing Yen said:-

A UK passenger could take matters to a UK court, but if SIA doesn’t have any assets in the UK, they still have to bring the judgment to Singapore. Thailand is just the emergency landing place, and you may not want to litigate in Thai court, as they are run by a set of rules that (passengers) may not be familiar with.

Several other aviation experts shared differing views, and there was even some suggestion that Australia might be a viable litigation jurisdiction for some passengers.

In the meantime, CNA's Crispina Robert and Steven Chia hosted lawyers Paul Ng (head of aviation at Rajah and Tann Singapore LLP) and Chooi Jing Yen on their weekly Deep Dive Podcast to discuss the implications of the compensation offer, what options were available to passengers and the possible effects increased incidents of turbulence might have on the future of the aviation and insurance industries.

Watch the full podcast below:-