Video purporting to show severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight dates back to 2019
Video dates back to flight operated by Bulgarian charter company ALK-Airlines in June of 2019
CLAIM
A video circulated on social media purports to be from the severe turbulence on a Singapore Airline flight from London to Singapore on Tuesday, May 21, that killed one person and left dozens injured
BACKGROUND
Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 operating between London Heathrow and Singapore was diverted to Bangkok on Tuesday, May 21, after it experienced severe turbulence with passengers reporting a “severe drop” that threw people not wearing a seatbelt up into the air.
The airline confirmed one person had died onboard the flight and 18 others were hospitalised after landing.
A statement by the airline said: “Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time.
“We can confirm that there are multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
“As of 1950hrs Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 individuals have been hospitalised. Another 12 are being treated in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.
“There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.”
A video of turbulence on a flight began being shared on social media in relation to the flight. One version of the video was taken from a Sky News report and courtesied to Mirjeta Basha.
Among other accounts, the footage was shared by an X account with over 733,000 followers, where it quickly began racking up views and reposts. However, the footage was soon edited to remove the segment showing this particular footage.
Below are three additional screenshots from the footage:
METHOD
A keyword search on X for the “Mirjeta Basha” — the name courtesied on the video — produced results dating back to June 2019 and included versions of the same Sky News video.
A local newspaper from southwestern Germany, Badische Zeitung, reported the photo was shot on June 16, 2019, by a passenger on an ALK Airlines flight from Pristina to Basel, located in Switzerland near the German border, that had encountered turbulence. Ten people onboard were taken to hospital after landing.
It also published the footage on its YouTube channel.
RATING
Misrepresented. The video was shared and wrongly described as showing turbulence onboard the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 on May 21, 2024. It dates back to a flight operated by the Bulgarian charter company ALK-Airlines on June 16, 2019, flying from Pristina to Basel.
SOURCES
X (formerly Twitter). (2024). Available at: Imágenes del vuelo SQ321 de Singapore Airlines en el que. [Accessed 21 May 2024].
X (formerly Twitter). (2024). Available at: #Shocking Severe turbulence in #SingaporeAirlines plane SQ321 flight. [Accessed 21 May 2024].
YouTube. Available at: Flug von Pristina nach Basel gerät in schwere Turbulenz [Accessed 21 May 2024].
Badische Zeitung (2019). Zehn Verletzte bei heftigen Turbulenzen auf Flug von Pristina nach Basel. [online] badische-zeitung.de. Available at: https://www.badische-zeitung.de/zehn-verletzte-bei-heftigen-turbulenzen-auf-flug-von-pristina-nach-basel [Accessed 21 May 2024].