Analysts weigh impact on SIA brand following turbulence tragedy

INDUSTRY observers and analysts believe that the Singapore Airlines (SIA) brand is unlikely to suffer significantly following the severe turbulence incident on Tuesday (May 21) that resulted in one passenger’s death and injuries to dozens of others on flight SQ321.

The sudden and extreme turbulence, described by Shukor Yusof, founder and primary analyst at Endau Analytics, as a “black swan incident”, is an unpredictable event not specific to any airline.

“In my opinion, while tragic, this incident should have less implication on SIA’s brand than an accident resulting from human error or faulty equipment,” agreed Lorraine Tan, director of equity research in Asia at Morningstar.