A passenger has died on board a transatlantic flight that diverted to Shannon Airport this afternoon.
The crew of British Airways flight BA-274 made an emergency dash for Shannon Airport after the 64-year-old woman suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
The Boeing 747-400 Jumbo jet, which was travelling from Las Vegas to London, was about a 1,000 kilometres south west of Ireland when the crew made contact with air traffic controllers to advise them of their emergency.
Shortly before 2.00pm the crew confirmed they had a passenger with a medical issue on board and that they would need to divert and land as soon as possible.
It’s not known whether there were any medical personnel on board but cabin crew members battled to resuscitate the woman for almost an hour before the flight touched down at Shannon.
The flight touched down safely and 2.51pm and was met at the terminal by a HSE ambulance and advanced paramedic rapid response unit. Medics quickly boarded the jet and located the passenger however the woman had already passed away.
A local doctor was called to the airport to formally pronounce the woman dead before her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem examination is expected to be carried out.
The flight was able to continue its journey at 4.40pm after the crew had received a new flight plan and the passenger’s baggage had been removed in accordance with security procedures.
A British Airways spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts are with the family. We are sorry to our customers for the delay to their journeys.”
The woman is believed to have been travelling on a British passport.