The incident took place on September 18th.
SUMMARY
- An IndiGo passenger suffered cardiac arrest mid-flight and could not be saved, despite immediate medical assistance provided by doctors and crew on board.
- Medical emergencies during commercial flights are a reality, and airlines train their crews to handle such situations.
- IndiGo faced a similar situation earlier this year when a passenger on a Delhi-Doha flight passed away.
IndiGo recently reported an unfortunate incident of a passenger dying in one of its Airbus A320 aircraft flying from India’s capital, New Delhi, to Jabalpur in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Attempts were made to revive the traveler, but unfortunately, he was declared dead upon landing.
The incident occurred on September 18th on the airline’s flight 6E 6788. This is a daily scheduled service between the two cities with a scheduled departure of 13:55.
On Monday, when the Airbus A320neo took off for Jabalpur, a passenger reportedly suffered a heart attack. There were doctors onboard the aircraft who tried to revive him with the crew’s help, but unfortunately, he could not be saved. In a response to Simple Flying’s query, IndiGo replied,
While not so common, passengers sometimes fall severely ill or even die on commercial flights. Last month, a team of doctors on a Vistara flight revived a child mid-air, who was then transported to a hospital upon landing. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated, and she passed away later.
In July, a passenger onboard a LATAM Boeing 777 flying from São Paulo to London became severely ill. The aircraft was given priority landing, and a medical team performed all the necessary procedures upon landing. Sadly, the passenger could not be saved.
IndiGo is no stranger to medical emergencies as well. The airline had to divert to Karachi, Pakistan, earlier this year while performing a Delhi-Doha flight due to a medical emergency. A passenger reportedly lost consciousness during the flight, prompting the crew to land immediately for medical assistance. Tragically, the traveler was declared dead upon landing.
Medical emergencies are very much a reality in commercial flying. Thankfully, airline crews are trained to deal with such tricky situations. Depending upon the severity of the problem, pilots can also divert the plane to the nearest airport for medical assistance.
Cabin crew members are trained to administer first aid and have some basic resources onboard, such as bandages and cold packs. Airlines, too, sometimes have their own protocols or procedures to deal with such situations.
Delta Air Lines recently invested in upgraded medical diagnosis and communications technology to assist the cabin crew in helping a patient more efficiently. Introduced in March, the MedLink service (an inflight medical support provider) offers real-time communication of critical medical information that helps doctors assess the passenger’s condition. A solution or emergency treatment is then communicated to the flight crew onboard the aircraft.