What is air turbulence and how can you protect yourself? Here’s what to know after fatal Singapore Airlines plane incident

At least one person died and another 30 were injured on Tuesday when a Singapore Airlines flight travelling from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence.

A 73-year-old British man was confirmed as the fatality, likely from a heart attack, according to officials at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where the aircraft made an emergency landing.

Thirty people were injured, of whom seven are in a critical condition. The aircraft was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members.

The plane took off from London Heathrow Airport at 10.38pm local time on Monday, and was diverted to the Bangkok airport where it landed at about 3.45pm on Tuesday.

Singapore’s Transport Ministry is opening an investigation into the incident and said it would send investigators to Bangkok.

Here, the Post breaks down what air turbulence is and what passengers should do to stay safe.

According to the Hong Kong Observatory, turbulence is caused by the rapid irregular motion of air, caused by storms, jet streams or when wind blows across mountain ranges.

“Turbulence usually occurs in areas where air masses with different speed, direction or temperature meet each other,” said the forecaster.

“In severe cases, the aircraft might go momentarily out of control.”

Paul Weatherilt, a pilot with Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific, said aircraft usually experience two kinds of turbulence.

One is the kind associated with weather, such as during thunderstorms, which are visible on the weather radar or even to the naked eye when looking out of the aircraft.

He added that aviation technology has developed to forecast such turbulence accurately and even indicated if it was predicted to be mild or severe, and pilots would stay clear of the area.

“We would be warned and