A tragic incident took place on board British Airways flight BA32, when a 60-year-old female passenger on the flight from Hong Kong to London died shortly after take-off. This incident happened on Sunday (22 March 2026). According to Fox’s report, the woman died about an hour after takeoff. This flight was an Airbus A350-1000, which was going from Hong Kong to London’s Heathrow Airport.

After the woman’s death, the pilots decided to continue the journey instead of aborting the flight or returning back to Hong Kong. This was done because generally the death of a passenger is not considered a medical emergency. Initially the crew members thought of keeping the body in the toilet, but later this option was not considered right. After this, the woman’s body was covered and kept in the rear part of the plane, i.e. the galley (where food is prepared). It was told that the woman’s family members were very saddened by this incident and the crew members were also upset. Many people wanted the flight to return, but this was not done as per the rules.

Big mistake happened during the incident

A major mistake during the incident was that the floor where the body was kept was hot. Because of this, with time, a foul smell started coming from there, which gradually spread to the rear part of the plane. As the flight approached London, many passengers and crew members complained of a strong odor coming from that area. A total of 331 passengers and staff were present in this flight. When the flight reached London, the police came on board the plane and all the passengers were asked to remain sitting on their seats for about 45 minutes for investigation. On this matter, British Airways said that they followed all the rules correctly. The company also said that its thoughts are with the family of the deceased woman in this difficult time and the crew is also being given full support.

Report on cases related to death on the plane

According to the rules, International Air Transport Union guidelines state that if a passenger dies during a flight, the body is kept in a bag or covered with a blanket. Efforts are made to keep it on an empty seat or in a less visible place. If the flight is completely full then the dead body can also be kept on its seat. According to a report, cases of death during flights are very rare. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013 stated that only 0.3 percent of medical emergencies occurring during flight result in death.

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