Death is in the air: a deadly time

It has been a deadly time for flyers with two deaths on board commercial aircraft over the past few days.

A British Airways flight attendant collapsed and died in front of seated passengers just prior to take off at London Heathrow, Travel Mole reported.

The 52-year-old man was preparing for departure on a flight scheduled to fly to Hong Kong.

The captain called for medical assistance, and a passenger helped with CPR. Emergency services personnel attended the scene but the man could not be saved.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a patient was pronounced dead at the scene,’ London Ambulance Service said.

The early evening incident caused the flight to be delayed overnight.

Passengers were accommodated in local hotels and departed the following day.

A BA spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts are with our colleagues’ friends and family at this incredibly sad time."

Just a week earlier a BA flight attendant was found dead in a layover hotel room in the US prior to a flight from Newark to London Heathrow.

A passenger was, meanwhile, discovered dead in a toilet cubicle on a Jet2 flight from Tenerife in Spain bound for Manchester.

Cabin crew found the man dead after other passengers became concerned at the length of time the toilet was occupied.

The flight was then diverted to Cork in Ireland.

A Jet2 spokesperson said: “Flight LS918 from Tenerife to Manchester diverted to Cork Airport due to a customer requiring medical attention.

“Regrettably, we can confirm that the customer sadly passed away. This was an extremely difficult situation for our crew. Our thoughts are with the customer’s family and friends.”

Image: Tiago Gomes, Scop.io