Woman dies after mid-air diversion

A PASSENGER has died on board a flight that was forced to turn around over the Atlantic and divert to Shannon Airport.

It was the second time in five days and the third time this year that a passenger on board a transatlantic flight has died after suddenly falling ill.

On Friday, Air Canada flight AC-849 from London’s Heathrow Airport to Toronto in Canada diverted to Shannon Airport after the crew had declared a medical emergency.

The Boeing 777-300(ER) jet was about an hour into its flight and about 400km northwest of Mayo when the crew turned it around.

The flight rerouted to Shannon while the cabin crew treated the passenger on the floor of the aircraft.

The flight landed at 5.15pm and the elderly woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem was to be carried out.

Efforts are being made to repatriate the remains to Canada.

The flight continued its journey to Toronto about two hours after landing at Shannon.

Last Monday, an 88-year-old man died after the Delta Air Lines flight on which he was travelling from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Georgia, diverted to Shannon.