Passenger dies of heart attack on flight from India to Bangkok

An IndiGo flight bound for Bangkok from Mumbai was diverted to Myanmar yesterday after a passenger died on board. According to a Times of India report, the unnamed passenger suffered a heart attack less than an hour after the flight took off at 4pm from Mumbai. Despite efforts to assist the man, he tragically passed away and the flight was diverted to an airport in Myanmar.

This incident occurred just days after another IndiGo flight, en route from Ranchi to Pune, was diverted to Nagpur due to a medical emergency on board. Unfortunately, the passenger in question also did not survive.

In a separate incident just a week earlier, a Delhi to Doha IndiGo flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, due to a medical emergency involving a Nigerian national in his sixties. Despite medical assistance provided at the airport, the passenger passed away and the flight was delayed for around five hours before being allowed to return to Delhi.

It is not uncommon for passengers to fall ill or pass away on flights to Thailand, as is the case with many long-haul journeys.

A 71 year old Thai man died on a flight to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport from Saudi Arabia in December last year. Testing showed that the man was infected with Covid-19 at the time of his death.

In 2019, a 59 year old Frenchman suffered a heart attack and passed away while onboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Bangkok. Despite attempts to save him, the passenger was pronounced dead upon arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

In another instance, a 72 year old Japanese woman passed away during a flight from Tokyo to Bangkok in 2018. The passenger was reportedly feeling unwell during the flight, and despite efforts to provide medical assistance, she tragically passed away mid-flight.

These incidents highlight the potential risks associated with air travel, particularly for older passengers or those with underlying health conditions. Airlines typically have protocols in place for responding to medical emergencies on board, and crew members are trained to provide basic first aid and support until the flight can land and medical professionals can take over.