Australian passengers on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 could be eligible for “millions” in compensation if they suffered serious injuries, says a lawyer specialising in the field.

Peter Carter, director of aircraft accident compensation at Carter Capner Law, says passengers will generally need to demonstrate loss of earnings as a result of their injuries.

There were 56 Australians on board the flight and eight were taken to hospital as a result of the turbulence and mid-air plunge.

“It could be millions of dollars for serious injuries, trivial money for no injury. They get the compensation to take account of the income they won’t win for the remaining years of their working life..”

Air traffic officials will now investigate the cause of the incident to determine whether pilot error contributed. Early indications suggest the plane encountered clear air turbulence, which is different to weather-related turbulence in that it cannot be detected by a plane’s radar.

Carter says Singapore Airline’s insurance would pay out claims to $260,000 where loss could be proven, but liability is unlimited and would be borne by the airline if human error was found to have contributed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to those injured on the flight.

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