British Man Dies on Ryanair Flight from Malaga to Manchester

A British national has died aboard a Ryanair flight from Malaga to Manchester after suddenly falling ill on the plane.

On the 7th of January, a medical emergency was declared on a Ryanair flight after a man became seriously ill. The flight, which was travelling to Manchester from Malaga, Spain was diverted to Bordeaux, France to secure medical assistance for the unwell itinerant.

Despite resuscitation efforts from another passenger during the flight and paramedics upon landing, the man was sadly pronounced dead on the scene. UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed the man’s nationality and has stated that they’re providing support for his family.

Passengers on board the flight described the stress caused by the incident as CPR was performed on the man in an effort to revive him, with one woman reported to have fainted during the ordeal.

A spokesperson for Ryanair told Manchester Evening News:

“This flight from Malaga to Manchester diverted to Bordeaux when a passenger became ill on board. Cabin crew called ahead for medical assistance and the aircraft was met by paramedics upon arrival.”

“As a result, this flight was delayed overnight, and passengers were notified by email/SMS and airport staff.”

Despite being under no lawful obligation to refund customers due to the force majeure nature of medical emergencies, the airline offered to arrange overnight accommodation and hotel transport for the affected passengers, also advising that they could claim back expenses incurred from arranged individual transport to the hotel via the Ryanair website; according to one passenger speaking to The Mirror, due to limited transport options many ended up spending the night at the airport. The airline also provided another flight free-of-charge to Manchester the following morning.

References

Holt, J. (2024) Passenger dies after falling ill at 38,000ft on flight to Manchester Airport, Manchester Evening News. Available at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/ryanair-flight-manchester-makes-emergency-28432684 (Accessed: 13 January 2024).

McDonagh, D. (2024) Ryanair flight makes emergency landing after passenger dies at 38,000 feet, MSN. Available at: https://www.msn.com/en-ie/travel/news/ryanair-flight-makes-emergency-landing-after-passenger-dies-at-38000-feet/ar-AA1mRNYO (Accessed: 13 January 2024).