A man seated next to an elderly woman who died on an easyJet flight has refuted claims that she was already deceased before boarding. The easyJet flight from Malaga to London Gatwick on December 19 was delayed for over 12 hours when cabin crew noticed the woman required "urgent medical assistance," and she was later confirmed to have passed away. The airline stated that the woman was deemed fit to fly prior to boarding, contradicting passenger claims that she was "already dead" when her family brought her onto the aircraft.
The man, Tony Coatesworth, commented on social media that the woman was alive and breathing when she was seated next to him. He mentioned that only two other people, a man and a younger lady, assisted her, along with Spanish special assistance staff, and not five family members as suggested in some social media posts. Coatesworth urged others to consider the family's feelings and criticized passengers for filming the incident and laughing, calling it unacceptable and lacking compassion.
Other passengers, however, claimed the woman was unresponsive and appeared "not with us" from the moment they saw her. One passenger described the family trying to wake her and give her something to drink, acting as if she were alive. Another passenger questioned why easyJet ground staff allowed someone who appeared "dead" on the flight, suggesting it was to "save the family repatriation" and comparing it to being denied boarding for being drunk. The Civil Guard in Málaga confirmed they attended to the elderly British woman who was pronounced dead on the aircraft. An easyJet spokesperson stated that the flight returned to the stand due to a passenger requiring urgent medical assistance, who sadly passed away, and that the airline is offering support to the family. The flight eventually departed nearly 12 hours after its scheduled time.