A woman in her 60s died shortly after takeoff on British Airways Flight BA32 from Hong Kong to London on Sunday, forcing passengers and crew to remain on board for more than 13 hours. According to reports, the passenger suffered a medical emergency about an hour after the Airbus A350-1000 departed Hong Kong.
Pilots chose to continue to London rather than return to Hong Kong; a passenger death is not typically treated as an in-flight emergency. Crew members considered placing the deceased in a lavatory but rejected that option and instead wrapped the body and moved it to a rear galley.
The rear galley had a heated floor, and over the long-haul flight a pungent smell developed and spread through the back of the cabin. On arrival at Heathrow, police boarded and asked passengers to remain seated for about 45 minutes while they carried out inquiries.
British Airways offered condolences to the family and said procedures were followed and support was being provided to both the family and the crew.
