A 73-year-old woman, initially believed to be asleep on a British Airways flight from London to Nice, was found to be deceased, reportedly due to a heart attack during the flight. The unsettling discovery was made by fellow passengers upon landing when the woman remained motionless while others were gathering their belongings to exit the aircraft. The alarm was raised when attempts to wake her proved futile.
Concerned passengers alerted the flight crew, who promptly contacted emergency services. Despite the best efforts of paramedics to resuscitate her, the woman was pronounced dead at 10 p.m., according to French news source, The Connexion. The cause of death is suspected to be a heart attack, although this has not been officially confirmed.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was initially thought to be sleeping by her fellow passengers. British Airways confirmed the unfortunate incident to the Daily Mail, stating, “Sadly a customer passed away on a flight from London Heathrow to Nice.”
This incident follows a similar occurrence in June, when a British man suffered a fatal asthma attack on a flight from London to New York. The man, identified as 25-year-old Shimoin Brauer of London, lost consciousness after dropping his inhaler approximately 45 minutes before the flight was due to land.
Despite the crew’s attempts to administer oxygen and perform CPR, they were unable to revive him. These incidents highlight the potential risks and challenges of managing medical emergencies mid-flight, where immediate professional medical help is not readily available.
While airlines have protocols in place for such situations, these incidents underscore the importance of further enhancing in-flight medical emergency response capabilities. It also raises questions about the need for more comprehensive pre-flight health screenings for passengers, particularly those with known health conditions.