Passengers on board a British Airways flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) were shocked to discover that a fellow traveler thought to be sleeping had passed away.
The incident took place on flight BA 348 on September 21, 2023. The flight had already landed at Nice airport, when passengers stood to collect their hand luggage and noticed that the woman, aged 73, was not moving or responding.
Passengers eventually realized that the woman had passed away, and was not merely sleeping as initially thought.
Passengers quickly alerted the flight attendants, who called air traffic control for emergency services. Firefighters and paramedics arrived and attempted to revive the woman, but she was declared dead at approximately 22:00 local time.
The woman, who has not been identified, is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
British Airways confirmed the incident to the Daily Mail.
“Sadly, a customer passed away on a flight from London Heathrow to Nice. Our thoughts are with the customer’s family at this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are unable to provide or confirm further details about the passenger.”
This is not the first time where a person has died on board and was mistakenly thought to be asleep.
In June 2022, a flight instructor who suffered a cardiac arrest was thought to be taking a nap by the pilot he was accompanying.