British Airways has issued a statement after a passenger was left in a galley for over 13 hours on a flight. The woman, who was reportedly in her 60s, died an hour into a journey from Hong Kong to London Heathrow.
Rather than turning back, the pilots of the Airbus A350-1000 continued the flight. Towards the end of the journey there were complaints from passengers about a “foul smell” from the area around a galley on board. A British Airways Spokesman said: “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.”
An unnamed source told The Sun the family with the woman were distraught, and so were the crew.
They added that many passengers wanted to go back to Hong Kong, but the death of a passenger is not considered an emergency.
The source said the flight deck wanted the body to be stored in a toilet, but that proposal was rejected by crew members.
Instead the body was wrapped up and moved to a galley at the back of the jet, according to the same source.
They said by the end of the journey there was a “foul smell” in the vicinity of the galley, which had a heated floor.
When the plane landed in the UK, police went on board to investigate, keeping passengers on board and in their seats for 45 minutes.
Deaths on flights are rare, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, cited by the BBC.
A majority of airlines follow International Air Transport Association guidance on what to do if a passenger dies on a flight.
The guidance states when a passenger is presumed to have died, their eyes should be closed and their body placed in a body bag, if one is available.
If there is no body bag, then the body should be covered with a blanket up to the neck.
They should be moved to a seat or area away from other passengers if possible too.