A flight destined for London experienced significant delays due to reports of a woman who allegedly passed away on board.
An easyJet flight, scheduled to depart from Malaga, Spain, to London, encountered an over 11-hour delay.
The delay involved an 89-year-old British woman intending to travel on flight EZY8070, who required medical attention before the plane’s scheduled departure shortly after 11 am on December 18.
However, some witnesses claimed that the elderly woman, brought on board in a wheelchair, had already passed away before boarding the Airbus A319 aircraft.
Passenger Petra Boddington shared her account of the event with the Sun.
She stated: “Anybody with eyes could see that she was not fit to fly, and it wasn’t just me that thought it, it was everybody else that she went past.
“People sat in front of me even said they’d seen the people that were with her holding her head up.
“We all thought that she looked dead.”
Boddington also shared a video of the incident on Facebook, which garnered significant attention.
Another alleged witness, Tracy-Ann Kitching, commented on social media: “I saw her wheeled onto the plane; someone was holding her head as they went past me. An actual doctor on board [confirmed] she was already dead when they put her in her seat.”
Observers noted that the plane had begun taxiing when the cabin crew was informed of the passenger’s death and subsequently returned to the gate.
However, easyJet countered these claims, stating that the woman was traveling under the care of two medical professionals with a ‘fit to fly’ certificate.
As reported by AviationA2Z, the woman was also accompanied by at least five other family members.
An easyJet representative stated: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the customer who sadly passed away, and we are offering support and assistance at this difficult time. She was permitted to fly because she had a medical ‘fit to fly’ certificate and was being supported by medical personnel during her journey.
“It was only after boarding that the customer then required medical assistance and she sadly passed away. The wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority and we would ask customers for their understanding in these circumstances.”
Inquiries have been made to easyJet for further comments.