A British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Abuja, Nigeria, was forced to make an emergency landing in Barcelona after a passenger died onboard. The incident occurred on Sunday night, approximately two hours after takeoff, when a man in his 80s suffered a medical emergency.
The deceased, a retired Nigerian air vice marshal, was reportedly returning home after receiving cancer treatment in the UK. His death caused disruption on the flight, with reports that a pregnant woman also fell unwell during the incident.
The aircraft was diverted to Barcelona, where emergency services attended to the situation. A replacement flight was arranged for the remaining passengers, which arrived in Nigeria later on Monday evening. British Airways issued an apology for the disruption caused.
This incident follows a separate emergency landing by a TUI flight from Cardiff to Cyprus, which diverted to Birmingham Airport after a bird strike on September 28. Birmingham Airport temporarily suspended operations while emergency services responded to the Boeing 737 aircraft.
