Woman in Shock After Her Husband Who Passed Out During Their Flight Is Declared Dead on Landing

A 63-year-old man and his wife were on a flight from the UK to Cyprus when he blacked out mid-air. The flight was heading to the coastal city of Paphos on September 28, 2022, when the incident occurred. The tourist's wife alerted the crew when he lost consciousness and he was rushed to the Paphos General Hospital at 11 pm local time, immediately after landing, but unfortunately, he was declared dead when he was brought to the hospital. “We can confirm that he passed away during the flight but at the moment there’s not much more we can say,” a police source is quoted as saying by Cyprus Mail. It was also reported that this is being considered a case of natural death and that they don't suspect anything suspicious in the man's demise. 

The deceased passenger's identity remains private. Recently, Helen Rhodes, a devoted mother, and midwife were on her way back to the United Kingdom on 5th August 2022 when she suddenly died in her sleep in front of her husband, Simon, and her children, children, Nathan and Emma, according to PEOPLE. She was found unresponsive during the flight and was unable to be resuscitated.
 
The sudden death of the 46-year-old was traumatic for her children who stayed with her for the next 8 hours until the flight landed in Frankfurt. After which, her husband along with the children continued their journey to the UK. They were moving back to the United Kingdom after staying 15 years in Tung Chung, Hong Kong. These are two very unfortunate situations, but this is a rare case.

However, passing out on a plane is not that uncommon, a flight attendant with a career spanning three decades told LA Times. "On long-haul flights of six hours or more, it’s not unusual for at least one passenger to lose consciousness," they said. 

According to WebMD.com, there are many other causes of fainting, including dehydration, an irregular heartbeat, low blood sugar, hyperventilation, a sharp drop in blood pressure, standing up, and, of course, alcohol consumption.

The shortage of oxygen to the brain brought on by the high cabin pressure on a flight, where air circulation is famously bad, can make the issue worse. Part of the reason why the temperature in an airline cabin is frequently adjusted to an uncomfortable level is that warm cabin air can make problems worse. 

References:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/29/british-cypriot-dies-during-flight-to-paphos/

https://people.com/human-interest/kids-devastated-after-devoted-mom-helen-rhodes-dies-in-her-sleep-on-flight-during-family-trip/

https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2020-01-22/passenger-plane-passes-out-cause

Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jaroslaw Kilian