Geoff Kitchen: British man, 73, who died following 'severe turbulence' on London-Singapore flight named

Mr Kitchen was onboard the Boeing 777 when it was met with heavy turbulence over the Andaman Sea off the coast of Myanmar. According to flight tracker FlightRadar24, the plane dropped sharply from an altitude of 37,000 feet to just 6,000.

According to a spokesperson for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane was diverted to, Mr Kitchen suffered from a suspected heart attack. Seven other people were seriously hurt in the incident and dozens others suffered minor injuries.

Singapore Airline, the airline which was operating the flight, has shared their condolences to Mr Kitchen’s family. Chief executive Goh Choon Phong said: “We are deeply saddened by this incident. On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through. We are fully co-operating with the relevant authorities on the investigations.”

A friend of Mr Kitchen told BBC’s Today programme that he was “the most wonderful human being that you could ever know”. She added: “I just can’t believe that I’m having to do this, he was the most wonderful human being that you could ever know, really one of the top ones – he was stable and reliable and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff, he was just a remarkable man, really. He had a really dry sense of humour and he hand a twinkle in his eye, every time you saw him you just knew he was going to make a funny joke.”

The 73-year-old had been travelling with his wife on the flight from Heathrow to Singapore, with the “adventurous” couple planning to go on a cruise in Indonesia before moving onto Australia. Their friend added: “The last time I saw him was just after new year and they were both talking about this (trip) – they were both very adventurous travellers, they loved to travel and this was something they were particularly looking forward to.

“They were going onto a cruise, in Indonesia, and then onto Australia. It had been planned for a very long time, it was very exciting.”

Mr Kitchen was also the member of a musical theatre group named Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, based in Bristol. The group posted a message of condolence on Facebook after Mr Kitchen’s death was announced.

The group said: “It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident. Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.

“His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including chairman, treasurer and most recently secretary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy.”