Petra Boddington was on the easyJet flight from Malaga to Gatwick when the elderly woman was brought on board in a wheelchair before being declared dead just before take-off
Easyjet passengers were stunned when the woman was pronounced dead. (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A passenger on an easyJet flight, where an unresponsive woman was brought on board only to be declared dead just before take-off, has shared how carers had to support her head.
Passengers on the plane were taken aback when the elderly woman was wheeled onto the aircraft in a wheelchair, despite seeming to be unresponsive. The flight, which was scheduled to travel from Malaga to Gatwick, was stopped while taxiing after shocked crew members realised that the woman had passed away.
Petra Boddington was one of the passengers on the flight and had been seated near the unfortunate British grandmother. She said that her fellow passengers had become worried about the woman’s wellbeing, noting that she had been slumped over in her seat.
Now Petra has spoken out about the incident to The Sun. The British expat noticed the “fragile, old lady” at the airport.
Sign up to our new Crime Ireland newsletter and get exclusive content from Michael O’Toole and Paul Healy
The Irish Mirror’s Crime Writers Michael O’Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
She said that the woman was pushed onto the plane by a member of ground staff, with those already seated able to observe as she was wheeled past, reports the Mirror.
She said: “People turned in their seats and went, ‘oh my god, she looks dead’. She was a fragile, old lady who was curled up and doubled over in a chair in a not very comfortable position. Anybody with eyes could see that she was not fit to fly and it wasn’t just me that thought it, it was everybody else that she went past. People sat in front of me even said they’d seen the people that were with her holding her head up. We all thought that she looked dead.”
The woman had been accompanied by carers on the flight, and was seated in a special assistance chair positioned at the end of a row. As the aircraft prepared for its departure at 11.15am crew conducted their routine pre-flight inspections.
However, when they went to examine the elderly passenger, they expressed concern that she had passed away in her seat. Consequently the journey was immediately postponed, and paramedics boarded the aircraft to assess the passenger.
Sadly, she was declared deceased on the plane itself. Nevertheless, it remains unclear at present exactly when she had died, and whether this occurred during the flight or prior to boarding.
EasyJet previously stated that the passenger possessed a fit to fly certificate before the journey.
Petra said: “As soon as the plane turned around and the captain announced there had been a medical emergency, everybody turned to each other and said, ‘well we know why?’ Then we were all taken off the plane and back at the gates. That’s when everyone started complaining and asked how she was allowed on.”
Petra Boddington. (Image: Petra Boddington/Facebook)
Malaga Airport. (Image: Getty Images)
She added: “I honestly feel sorry for the woman. She should have never have been allowed on that plane. I think it’s disgusting that she was allowed on but ultimately, the poor woman has lost her life.”
Another passenger, Tracy-Ann Kitching, shared her experience on social media, expressing her outrage at the budget airline. She wrote: “easyJet – you are unbelievable! Why did you let a dead person on our flight? ! Special assistance [the service that helps board passengers with a disability or reduced mobility] are responsible too; they should have raised the issue… I saw her wheeled onto the plane; someone was holding her head as they went past me!”.
Some passengers were delayed by over 12 hours following the incident. It’s not clear at present what happened to the elderly passenger and her companions after the flight, though a spokesperson for the Civil Guard in Málaga confirmed they were called to the flight to attend to an elderly British woman.
Irate passengers are said to have quizzed staff about the incident and what happened prior to boarding, with staff reportedly saying they were assured by the woman’s carers she was ‘just tired’ and ‘unwell’. EasyJet have insisted the allegations are unfounded and that the woman was alive when she boarded the plane.
The flight’s co-pilot told passengers he would write a report on the incident using their testimonies.
Sign up to the Irish Mirror’s daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories sent direct to your inbox.