A passenger who died aboard a British Airways flight was left in the plane’s heated galley for over 13 hours – as fellow fliers complained about the odour.
The woman, who was in her 60, died 30 minutes after take-off on the flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow.
Instead of turning back to Hong Kong, pilots decided to press ahead with the 13-and-a-half hour journey.
Cockpit staff suggested the woman’s body be stored inside a lavatory, however, cabin crew favoured storing the body in a galley at the rear of the aircraft.
By the time the Airbus A350-100 was due to touchdown in London, passengers had complained about the smell.
One person told The Sun: ‘Obviously the family with the woman were distraught, and so were the crew.
‘Many wanted to return to Hong Kong. But, to put it bluntly, if a passenger has already died, that is not viewed as an emergency.
‘A discussion was had about what to do with the body – with the flightdeck’s request to lock it in a toilet rejected by crew.
A passenger that died aboard a British Airways flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow was left in the plane’s heated galley for over 13 hours
By the time the flight was due to touchdown in Heathrow (pictured) fellow fliers passengers had complained about the smell
‘So they had to isolate the body, wrap it in materials, and move it to a galley at the rear of the plane.
‘The galley had a heated floor, which some crew had overlooked, and towards the end of the flight there were claims that a foul smell was present in that region.’
Police were waiting for Flight BA32 when it touched down in London.
Passengers were instructed to remain seated for 45 minutes after landing while officers conducted their inquiries.
It is understood that crew have been offered support by British Airways following the incident, however, it is reported that some are off work with trauma.
A spokesperson for British Airways said they are ‘supporting’ all staff who were onboard.
The airline said: ‘A customer sadly passed away on board and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time.
‘We are supporting our crew and all procedures were correctly followed.’
