A flight to Manchester was suddenly diverted after a passenger fell ill at 38,000 feet and tragically died on board. The Ryanair flight, from Malaga to Manchester Airport on Sunday (January 7) had to make an emergency landing in Bordeaux, France, and was met by paramedics and local police on the runway.
The airline said the passenger, understood to be a man, ‘became ill’ on board. Cabin crew immediately called for medical assistance and the aircraft was met by medical professionals after landing.
Distraught passengers have described the moment the man was seen to being given CPR on board before landing. They described the horrifying scenes with children left ‘confused and upset’ with another person on the flight ‘fainting’ due to the stress of the situation.
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The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that the passenger who passed away was a British national and that their family are being supported.
One passenger on board, who asked to remain anonymous, said that after landing in Bordeaux, they were told they would be given alternative accommodation, but that transport options were limited, with many sleeping in the airport overnight until eventually flying back to Manchester on Monday (January 8).
She said: “They asked if anyone was medically trained on board. We had to do an emergency landing in Bordeaux and a passenger next to us performed CPR the whole time that we were landing, but he unfortunately didn’t make it
“People became stressed and needed water and air but there was not enough water for everyone. A woman then fainted due to the stress of the situation.
“There were also many distressed children on board who were very confused and upset. The pilot then announced we will not be continuing the flight and will have to stay overnight in Bordeaux.”
Ryanair, which is not required to refund customers due to the nature of the diversion and subsequent delayed flight home being because of a ‘medical emergency’, has said that customers were all offered accommodation and told they could expense their own travel to the hotel due to limited transport options.
A Ryanair spokesperson told the M.E.N: “This flight from Malaga to Manchester (7 Jan) diverted to Bordeaux when a passenger became ill on board. Cabin crew called ahead for medical assistance and the aircraft was met by paramedics upon arrival.
“As a result, this flight was delayed overnight and passengers were notified by email/SMS and airport staff. Passengers were offered overnight accommodation, and despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange transport to the hotel, availability of transport was limited, and passengers were advised that they could also arrange individual transport to the hotel and that they could claim back expenses on Ryanair.com.
“The following morning, airport staff were present to check-in all passengers free of charge and issue boarding passes before this flight departed for Manchester at 10:02 local.”
A FCDO spokesperson said: “We are providing consular support to the family of the British national that died on a flight diverted to Bordeaux”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
