Passengers traveling on a 14-hour British Airways flight to London complained of a “bad smell” after a woman died on board.
A woman in her 60s died shortly after taking off from a flight from Hong Kong to London Heathrow on March 15.
Following the decision to store the body in a heated kitchen at the back of the plane, passengers reported that they could smell a bad smell.
A source said the sun that the family and several crew members were “distraught” after the incident.
They added: “A discussion was had about what to do with the body, and the crew refused the flight deck’s request to lock him in a bathroom.
“So they had to isolate the body, wrap it in materials and move it to a kitchen in the back of the plane.
“The galley had a heated floor, something some crew had overlooked, and towards the end of the flight there were claims that there was an unpleasant smell in that area.”
Guidelines from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) state that when a person has been declared dead, they should be moved to an isolated seat, returned to their own seat or “at the discretion of the crew, to another area that does not obstruct an aisle or exit.”
According to the source, the situation was not considered an emergency since the passenger had already died.
The Airbus A350-1000 plane landed at 4:52 a.m. with 331 passengers on board after a 14-hour flight.
Police met flight BA32 after landing at Heathrow and asked passengers to remain in their seats for 45 minutes while they carried out investigations.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “Sadly, a customer has died on board and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time.
“We are supporting our crew and all procedures were followed correctly.”
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