A woman in her 60s died an hour into the journey, with passengers reportedly spending 13 hours on the Airbus A350-1000 after the pilots continued the flight to London Heathrow
British Airways has released a statement following reports that a deceased passenger remained in a galley for 13 hours during a flight.
The woman, aged in her 60s, passed away an hour into the journey from Hong Kong to London Heathrow. The pilots of the Airbus A350-1000 allegedly pressed on with the flight, with passengers now claiming there was a “foul smell” emanating from the area.
An unnamed source told The Sun the woman’s family were devastated, as were the cabin crew. They mentioned that numerous passengers wished to return to Hong Kong, but noted that a passenger death is not deemed an emergency. A British Airways spokesman told the Express: “A customer sadly passed away on board and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time. We are supporting our crew and all procedures were correctly followed.”
The source revealed the flight deck suggested storing the body in a toilet, but this suggestion was turned down by crew members. Instead the body was covered and relocated to a galley at the rear of the aircraft, according to the same source, reports the Mirror.
They claimed that by the journey’s end there was a “foul smell” around the galley area, which featured a heated floor. Upon the plane’s arrival in the UK, police boarded to investigate, requiring passengers to remain seated for 45 minutes. The source revealed: “A discussion was had about what to do with the body – with the flightdeck’s request to lock it in a toilet rejected by crew. So they had to isolate the body, wrap it in materials, and move it to a galley at the rear of the plane.
“The galley had a heated floor, which some crew had overlooked, and towards the end of the flight there were claims that a foul smell was present in that region.”
According to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, cited by the BBC, deaths on flights are uncommon. Most airlines adhere to the International Air Transport Association’s guidance on how to handle a passenger’s death during a flight.
The guidelines stipulate that when a passenger is presumed dead, their eyes should be closed and their body placed in a body bag, if one is available.
If a body bag isn’t available, then the body should be covered with a blanket up to the neck. If possible, they should also be moved to a seat or area away from other passengers.