A passenger has died on board a transatlantic flight that diverted to Shannon Airport this afternoon.
Turkish Airlines flight TK-801 was travelling from Istanbul in Turkey to Bogotá, Columbia at the time. There were 282 passengers and crew on board.
The Boeing 787-900 jet was around 450 kilometres south of Cork when the flight crew made contact with air traffic controllers in Ireland to inform them they required to divert and seek medical attention for a passenger.
The flight was cleared to reroute to the Shannon where emergency medical services had been placed on standby. The National Ambulance Service dispatched a rapid response advanced paramedic unit and ambulance to the airport.
The flight landed safely shortly after 1.00pm and was followed along the runway by airport fire crews who had been placed on standby ahead of the jet’s arrival. This was a precautionary measure as the flight had dumped aviation fuel earlier.
The aircraft was met at the terminal by airport authorities and paramedics however, the man was pronounced dead soon after the flight landed.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that Gardaí and the county coroner for Clare were notified of the death.
A local undertaker was called to the airport to remove the man’s body to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
The flight continued its journey at 3.35pm.
A spokesperson for Turkish Airlines said: “Our Boeing 787-900 aircraft operating the TK801 Istanbul – Bogota flight diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland due to a passenger suffering from heart attack. Our male passenger, born in 1947, unfortunately passed away. Flight continued later with its 268 passengers.”
