Plane turbulence: Major airlines to introduce strict new seatbelt rules after fatal turbulence killed British man on Singapore Airlines flight

Major airlines are looking at introducing stricter seat belt regulations after the fatal turbulence which hit the Singapore Airlines flight and killed a British man. Fears over the safety around seatbelts on flights grew after the incident. 

Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, from Gloucestershire died onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 after it plummeted 6,000ft in just three minutes. It's believed Mr Kitchen passed away from a heart attack - and it has not been revealed whether he or any of the other passengers injured were wearing seatbelts when the plane was hit by turbulence.

Pilots already advised passengers to remain strapped in at all times unless getting up to go to the toilet. However, safety experts are now looking for it to become mandatory to wear your seatbelt at all times.

One aviation insider told The Times: "The messaging is going to be massively strengthened: it’ll be ‘Stay strapped in at all times’. End of." Former RAF pilot and aviation expert David Learmount told The Sun that the incident onboard flight SQ321 should serve as a reminder to all passengers about the importance of staying strapped in at all times.

He said: "Now the indication there is that the crew didn't know this turbulence was coming, or they weren't expecting it to be anything like it actually turned out to be. So everybody on the aircraft was relatively unprepared, and that's dangerous. If you have your seatbelt loosely fastened at all times, this kind of disaster will not happen to you.”

Singapore Airlines has already begun to update its safety guidelines with the company now vowing to adopt a more “cautious approach to managing turbulence”. The changes will include cabin crew no longer serving hot drinks and meals while the seatbelt sign is on. The statement from the airline said: "[Singapore Airlines] will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”