EasyJet passenger dies on flight to Lanzarote

A passenger has died on an EasyJet flight heading for Lanzarote following a medical emergency, the airline has confirmed.

The flight set off from Nantes in France on Tuesday, 16 September, and was all going to plan until the alarm was raised as the flight approached its destination in the Canary Islands.

The pilot is reported to have triggered a distress signal immediately after learning of the passenger's condition, before going on to land in Lanzarote Airport as planned, 'performing a routine landing in accordance with standard procedures.'

The crew working onboard the EasyJet flight are said to have done everything they could to save the traveller but unfortunately their efforts were not successful.

There are currently no details on the identity of the passenger or how they died, however, EasyJet has offered its condolences to the family of the passenger.

The emergency took place as the plane approached Lanzarote's airport (Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The airline told French publication Le Parisien: "Our crews are trained to respond to medical issues and did everything possible during the flight.

"Our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and friends and we extend our full support and assistance to them during this difficult time. The well-being and safety of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s top priority."

The return flight from Lanzarote to France was understandably severely delayed, with French publications reporting that the flight was due to land at 2.45pm, but didn't until 11pm the same evening.

Tragically, this isn't the first time a person has died on board an EasyJet flight, after a man died while flying to London in 2022.

The man, aged around 50, was travelling from Cyprus when he became unwell mid-flight. The crew on board used a defibrillator in attempts to resuscitate the man, but sadly their efforts were unsuccessful.

A man previously died on an EasyJet flight to London (Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Fellow passengers recalled the man appearing to be asleep until staff tried to wake him up and realised something was wrong. The man was said to be travelling alone at the time.

Once the flight EZY8454 landed in Gatwick Airport, passengers were held on the flight as paramedics entered the plane to pronounce the man's death.

In standard flight protocol, a plane will not always divert if there has been a death onboard.

It depends on circumstances, such as whether there is a chance of revival and whether there is a medical professional onboard who has declared the passenger as dead.

It also depends on whether the person can safely be stored in the cabin.