Ryanair flight to Manchester diverted after passenger suddenly dies on board

A Ryanair flight carrying holidaymakers home to Manchester from a Spanish getaway was forced to make an emergency landing when a passenger suddenly died on board.

The tragic event took place after passengers boarded the aircraft at Malaga Airport, Spain, expecting to head back to Manchester Airport.

They watched on in horror as CPR was performed on the man and the flight was forced to divert to Bordeaux, France, on January 7th where he was sadly pronounced dead.

One person is believed to have fainted from witnessing the traumatic incident while children were reported to be left feeling ‘confused and upset’.

A passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed they were offered alternative accommodation but transport links were limited and so they ended up staying overnight at the airport before catching a flight back to Manchester the following day.

She said: “They asked if anyone was medically trained on board. We had to do an emergency landing in Bordeaux and a passenger next to us performed CPR the whole time that we were landing, but he unfortunately didn’t make it.”

She continued: “People became stressed and needed water and air but there was not enough water for everyone. A woman then fainted due to the stress of the situation.

“There were also many distressed children on board who were very confused and upset. The pilot then announced we will not be continuing the flight and will have to stay overnight in Bordeaux.”

Despite the traumatic ordeal, Ryanair is not required to refund customers due to the medical emergency, which led to the flight being diverted and as a result, delayed the return leg of the journey to Manchester.

As reported in the Manchester Evening News, the airline claims that all passengers were offered accommodation and advised they could claim back their travel costs to get to the hotel due to limited transport options. 

A spokesperson for Ryanair told the publication: “This flight from Malaga to Manchester  (January 7th) 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.”

They continued: “Passengers were offered overnight accommodation, and despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange transport to the hotel, availability of transport was limited, and passengers were advised that they could also arrange individual transport to the hotel and that they could claim back expenses on Ryanair.com.

“The following morning, airport staff were present to check-in all passengers free of charge and issue boarding passes before this flight departed for Manchester at 10:02 local.” 

An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are providing consular support to the family of the British national that died on a flight diverted to Bordeaux.”