A passenger on a flight departing from Gran Canaria, a popular holiday destination, tragically passed away, prompting an emergency landing. The aircraft, carrying nearly 200 passengers, was en route from the Spanish island to Hamburg, Germany, when an elderly man suffered a heart attack on Sunday afternoon, November 30.
The crew and fellow passengers on the Eurowings flight acted swiftly as the pilot diverted the plane to Bilbao Airport in northern Spain. Despite the efforts of emergency services upon landing, the German pensioner, who was traveling with his daughter, could not be revived.
Following the incident, the deceased passenger was disembarked, and the remaining passengers were required to stay overnight in the Basque capital. They were scheduled to continue their journey to Hamburg the following day, as reported by ABC, a Spanish newspaper.
During the emergency landing, immediate actions were taken as the pilot alerted the tower, leading to the activation of emergency protocols allowing for swift medical response. Similar incidents have occurred recently, such as a flight from London to Gibraltar where a British man passed away mid-flight due to natural causes.
In a separate development, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a precautionary directive affecting air travel in the United Kingdom due to software updates on Airbus 320 aircraft. This directive has impacted travel schedules in the UK, with airlines carrying out necessary software modifications.
Moreover, recent reports highlighted an incident involving JetBlue passengers who sustained injuries after an A320 aircraft experienced a sudden drop in altitude, necessitating an emergency landing in Florida. This incident was attributed to a potential flight control issue related to the aircraft’s software system.
EASA emphasized the importance of complying with the software update requirements to ensure the safety of passengers, indicating that affected airlines must implement the necessary changes promptly to avoid disruptions in flight operations.