Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines to tighten safety rules and require passengers to keep seat belt on at all times
- Airline announces new measure that is ‘precautionary’ but ‘not mandatory’, in the wake of Singapore Airlines flight that ended with one fatality and dozens injured after hitting turbulence
- Company says main objective of new rule is to ‘enhance the safety awareness of passengers’
Greater Bay Airlines announced on Wednesday that seat belts would need to be fastened even when the seat belt sign was off as “a precautionary measure”. However, it added the rule was “not mandatory” and passengers would still be able to use the lavatories when the sign was not on.
In a statement, the company said the main objective of the new rule was to “enhance the safety awareness of passengers”.
The statement observed that “some recent flight incidents of individual airlines suggested that fastening the seat belt is an effective way to protect passengers, especially under unpredictable or severe weather conditions, such as convectively induced turbulence and clear-air turbulence”.
Greater Bay Airlines operates short-haul flights between Hong Kong and destinations within the region such as Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, Manila and Bangkok with its fleet of eight Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
On May 21, Singapore Airlines flight 321 from London to Singapore carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members encountered severe turbulence, during which a 73-year-old British man died and at least 40 others were injured.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Singapore Airlines confirmed that 42 passengers who were on board SQ321 were still in Bangkok, including 26 passengers who were receiving medical treatment.
Singapore Airlines announced last Friday that passengers would not be served meals and hot beverages when seat belt signs were on.
“Singapore Airlines has adopted a more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight. In addition to the suspension of hot beverage service when the seat belt sign is on, the meal service will also be suspended,” the carrier said in a statement.
“Crew members will also return to their seats and secure their seat belts when the seat belt sign is on.”
The carrier added that pilots and cabin crew were aware of the hazards associated with turbulence and were trained to ensure passenger safety.
Greater Bay Airlines’ change of rules echoed suggestions by Paul Weatherilt, chairman of Cathay Pacific Airways’ Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, who spoke to the Post earlier on the issue.
Weatherilt noted Cathay currently required hot drink service to be halted when the seat belt sign was switched on, but meal service could continue.
In a reply to the Post, Cathay said it regularly reviewed its standard operating procedures to ensure it was functioning “with the highest safety standard”, but stopped short of commenting on whether it was making changes to cabin rules in light of the Singapore Airlines incident.
“Our dedication to the safety of our passengers and crew guides every decision we make,” it said.
