Passengers on a British Airways flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow complained of a “foul smell” after a woman’s body was left next to a heated galley for much of the 13-hour journey. The woman, in her 60s, died about an hour after takeoff on flight BA32, but pilots reportedly did not treat the situation as an emergency and continued to Heathrow.
The Airbus A350-1000 was carrying 331 passengers. According to a source, the flight deck considered locking the body in a toilet, but crew rejected this. Instead, the body was isolated, wrapped in materials, and moved to a rear galley. However, the galley had a heated floor, which some crew had overlooked, leading to a foul smell towards the end of the flight.
Police met the aircraft on arrival at Heathrow, and passengers were kept in their seats for about 45 minutes while investigations were carried out. Some crew members have since taken time off work due to trauma, though a source praised their actions. British Airways stated that “all procedures were correctly followed.”
Deaths on flights are rare, according to a 2013 study in the New England Journal of Medicine. International Air Transport Association guidelines suggest placing the deceased in a body bag and restraining them in a seat, or covering the body with a blanket if no bag is available.
