Tragedy as easyJet passenger dies mid-air on flight to Canary Islands

An easyJet flight passenger tragically died while the plane was heading to one of the most popular Canary Islands, Lanzarote. Crew members did everything they could to help the traveller who was en route to the Spanish island from France, but could not be saved, the airline said.

easyJet said the medical emergency unfolded “during the approach to the arrival” of Lanzarote Airport. The captain then triggered a distress signal when he was alerted to the passenger’s condition by the cabin crew. The plane then “performed a routine landing in accordance with standard procedures,” the airline added. The passenger’s cause of death is currently unknown. 

The tragedy took place on board flight EJU4475 from Nantes to Lanzarote on Tuesday, September 16, according to local media.

The return flight was significantly delayed due to the ordeal. It was previously scheduled to land at 2:45pm in Loire-Atlantique, but it landed eight hours later, at around 11pm.

easyJet said: “Our crews are trained to respond to medical issues and did everything possible during the flight.

“Our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and friends and we extend our full support and assistance to them during this difficult time. The well-being and safety of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s top priority.”

This comes as the body of a passenger who died during a long-haul flight in July could not be located by either the airline or the airport. The customer, aboard flight TK79 operated by Turkish Airlines, suffered a medical emergency over Greenland on a flight from Istanbul to San Francisco, California, according to the aviation blog Aviation A2Z.

However, a spokesperson for the medical examiner, Natalia Derevyanny, said there is “no record” of a body being brought to them from the flight. SFGATE reported that they were “not notified” of the death and that the office has “no cases that would match the description of the incident”.