A London-bound easyJet flight was delayed by over 11 hours following the death of an elderly passenger on Thursday.
The 89-year-old woman was travelling on flight EZY8070 from Malaga, Spain, to London Gatwick when she “required medical assistance” onboard.
A Malaga Civil Guard spokesperson confirmed that officers had responded to an elderly British woman who died just after 11am on 18 December.
Several fellow passengers claimed on social media that the woman was “already dead” when boarding the Airbus A319 aircraft in a wheelchair.
However, according to easyJet, it was only after boarding the flight that the customer required medical assistance, then “sadly passed away”.
The airline added that the woman was flying in the care of two medical professionals with a “fit to fly” certificate.
Passenger Petra Boddington told The Sun: “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.”
Witnesses said that the plane had begun taxiing to the runway when the cabin crew were alerted to the passenger’s death and returned to the gate.
The Gatwick flight had been scheduled to depart from Malaga airport at 11.15am.
Flight EZY8070 departed the Spanish holiday hotspot at 10.30pm – 11 hours and 15 minutes late – following the incident.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the customer who sadly passed away, and we are offering support and assistance at this difficult time. She was permitted to fly because she had a medical ‘fit to fly’ certificate and was being supported by medical personnel during her journey.
“It was only after boarding that the customer then required medical assistance and she sadly passed away. The wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority and we would ask customers for their understanding in these circumstances.”
Read more: Elderly passenger dies after falling overboard on Disney cruise
