Singapore Airlines settles air crash lawsuits

Airline Industry Information, Oct 29, 2004

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Singapore Airlines has settled 12 wrongful death lawsuits relating to the 31 October 2000 air crash at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport.

The families of 10 people killed had filed lawsuits in Los Angeles over the accident which occurred when Singapore Airlines Flight SQ006 landed on the wrong runway and crashed into maintenance equipment killing 83 people. The airline's lawyer said that the cases had been settled over the past month and that due to confidentiality agreements the compensation amounts would not be released.

Two other cases had made it to trial with one ending in a USD15m compensation award. Singapore Airlines said that the outcome of that case had led to the settlements. The airline itself had admitted that the pilot had used the wrong runway after struggling in adverse weather conditions, reports The Associated Press.

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