A passenger who witnessed the disturbing scene aboard an EasyJet flight from Spain has broken her silence, revealing that many travellers shared concerns about an elderly woman's condition before takeoff.
‘She looks dead’: Passenger describes airport scene
Petra Boddington was at Malaga airport on Thursday when she first noticed the 89-year-old UK grandmother at the centre of the subsequent in-flight medical emergency. Petra told The Sun the woman appeared visibly slumped and doubled over in an airport chair, surrounded by airport staff and two individuals who seemed to be her carers.
"People turned in their seats and went, 'oh my god, she looks dead'," Petra recounted. She described the woman as a "fragile, old lady" who was curled up in a position that did not look comfortable. Petra's immediate thought, echoed by others, was that the passenger was not fit to travel.
"Anybody with eyes could see that she was not fit to fly and it wasn't just me that thought it, it was everybody else that she went past," she stated.
In-flight emergency and passenger reaction
The situation escalated once the flight was airborne. Petra said that when the plane turned around and the captain announced a medical emergency, the reaction among passengers was one of grim understanding.
"Everybody turned to each other and said, 'well we know why?'" she explained. After the aircraft returned to the gate and all passengers disembarked, complaints began. Travellers questioned how the elderly woman had been permitted to board in such a state.
Petra expressed sympathy for the woman, whose life was ultimately lost, but placed blame on the decision to allow her on the aircraft. "I honestly feel sorry for the woman. She should have never have been allowed on that plane," she said. "I think it's disgusting that she was allowed on."
Airline's response and medical certificate
In a statement addressing the incident, EasyJet confirmed they had no grounds to refuse the woman boarding. The airline stated the passenger had presented a valid 'fit to fly' medical certificate prior to the flight, which is a standard requirement for passengers with medical conditions.
This case has sparked a wider debate about the effectiveness of such certificates and the responsibilities of airlines, carers, and medical professionals when assessing a passenger's fitness for air travel, especially concerning the elderly and vulnerable.
