A passenger has died onboard a Jet2 flight to Manchester after a woman was reportedly seen being led to the toilet "in distress".
The LS756 flight from Tenerife to Manchester Airport issued the alert around three hours into the journey on Sunday night (April 2) after a customer required medical assistance.
Witnesses on board the plane have told of the 'emotional' scenes on board as the passenger, understood to be a woman, fell ill and required urgent assistance from medical professionals as the aircraft began to descend over the Celtic Sea before landing at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
A passenger on board told the Manchester Evening News: "A few hours into the flight a man was helping a woman he was with to the bathroom. She looked to be in quite a state and was in distress.
"Cabin crew had a chat with them and at one point they had to lay her down in front of the doors where the seats with extra leg room are. She was being asked how much pain she was in so that they could relay it back to the captain.
"She seemed to take a sudden turn. The cabin crew put out an announcement for any medical staff on board. Then the plane took a very dramatic veer to the right and it was clear something had changed and we needed to land straight away.
"Quite a few people were visibly upset and emotional by what was going on. She passed out, and they had oxygen on board and a defibrillator on board and started performing CPR. They did this for around an hour until we landed at Newquay.
"The air ambulance and a second ambulance was waiting when we landed, and they quickly got the steps and transported her out of the side of the plane on a scoop stretcher."
After the plane had landed, those on board said it had to refuel as police talked to Jet2 staff at the scene. The plane later took off again, landing in Manchester at around 10pm.
Further details about the nature of what happened have not yet been confirmed, but the South West Ambulance Service and Devon and Cornwall Police have been approached for further information.
In a statement, Jet2 have since confirmed the passenger on board has passed away and thanked the crew on board as well as customers who were on hand to provide assistance.
A spokesperson said: "Flight LS756 from Tenerife to Manchester diverted to Cornwall Airport Newquay yesterday evening, due to a customer requiring medical attention.
"Regrettably, we can confirm that the customer has sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with the customer’s family and friends at this very difficult time. We would like to express our thanks to our crew, as well as other customers who provided assistance onboard.”
