Summary
- A passenger was found dead in the bathroom of a Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Manchester, causing the aircraft to divert to Cork Airport.
- The aircraft, an Airbus A321 registered as G-SUNB, departed Tenerife barely late and passengers noticed the locked lavatory through the flight.
- This will not be the primary time Jet2 flights have experienced diversions as a consequence of medical emergencies, including one other incident in March 2023 where a passenger passed away mid-flight.
On Tuesday, January 2, a passenger was found dead in the bathroom of a Jet2 flight. The flight, which was registered as LS918, was traveling from Tenerife South Airport (TFS) in Spain to Manchester International Airport (MAN) in the UK when the passenger was discovered to be deceased. After the tragic discovery, the aircraft was forced to divert to Cork International Airport (ORK) in Ireland.
Diverted flight
The Jet2 aircraft is an Airbus A321 registered as G-SUNB. This aircraft was delivered to Jet2 recently, in March 2023, and suits 232 passengers in a single economy class, per ch-aviation. On January 2, this aircraft was performing flight LS918. This flight connects Tenerife South Airport (TFS) in Spain to Manchester International Airport (MAN) in the UK as a day by day service.
Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock
Typically, this service will depart Tenerife at around 15:45 local time and arrive in Manchester at roughly 20:30 local time. On the January 2 flight, G-SUNB departed Tenerife barely late at around 16:17 local time, per Flightradar24.
Nonetheless, through the flight, passengers aboard the aircraft realized that the bathroom had been locked and occupied for an prolonged time frame. Several passengers alerted the cabin crew. Eventually, members of the cabin crew were capable of gain access to the bathroom and made the invention that the occupying passenger had passed away. The cabin crew called for a direct landing, and the aircraft was diverted to Cork International Airport (ORK) in Ireland.
In an announcement to the Mirror, Jet2 officials stated,
“Flight LS918 from Tenerife to Manchester diverted to Cork Airport on Tuesday, January 2, as a consequence of a customer requiring medical attention. Regrettably, we are able to confirm that the client sadly passed away, despite the perfect efforts of our highly-trained crew, who intervened as soon as they became aware. This was a particularly difficult situation for our crew, and we would really like to thank them for his or her efforts. Our thoughts are with the client’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”
Passengers aboard the unique flight LS918 deplaned the aircraft while at Cork Airport. The passengers waited for an additional aircraft to take them to Manchester from Cork. Eventually, the passengers would arrive about five hours later in Manchester than the originally scheduled 20:30 local time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased passenger at the moment.
Other Jet2 incidents
Several other Jet2 flights have experienced diversions previously several years. In March 2023, one other emergency diversion was required for a passenger who passed away mid-flight.
Photo: TROFNOM | Shutterstock
On the flight, which was also from Tenerife to Manchester, although registered as flight LS756, a passenger fell sick and required immediate medical assistance. Flight attendants noticed the passenger, who was a lady in her late 60s, appearing distraught and advised her to lie down in front of the emergency exits.
The cabin crew advised the flight deck of the incident, and the flight crew eventually squawked 7700. The aircraft began a diversion as a consequence of the medical emergency. Nonetheless, the passenger’s condition worsened, and eventually, CPR was required. After the aircraft landed at Cornwall Newquay Airport (NQY), the passenger was faraway from the aircraft and transported to a close-by hospital. Nonetheless, the passenger’s condition didn’t improve, and she or he was later pronounced dead.