Recent events

A young boy died on a flight from Auckland to Samoa, despite attempts by cabin crew to save him. The passenger, who had a pre-existing medical condition, died on Boxing Day on a Samoa Airways flight. There were no medical professionals on board.

An Air New Zealand flight from Hong Kong to Auckland was diverted to Cairns after a man died on board on January 7. Flight ANZ80, which was scheduled to arrive in Auckland, instead touched down in Cairns about four hours early. A doctor on board the flight attended to the man for three to four hours along with airline staff but the passenger died.

A passenger fell severely ill on an American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles on January 15, requiring urgent care and the plane to be diverted to Hawaii. The flight, which departed from Auckland, was diverted mid-flight to Honolulu International Airport.