Body Kept In Plane Galley For 13 Hours As Passengers Report 'Foul Smell' On Flight

A deceased passenger was reportedly kept onboard a British Airways flight for more than 13 hours while the aircraft continued its journey from Hong Kong to London. The situation unfolded mid-flight and continued until landing.

The woman, believed to be in her 60s, is said to have died not long after the plane took off from the Chinese city. Despite the serious nature of the situation, the flight did not turn back and instead continued on its scheduled route to the UK on Sunday, March 15.

As the plane approached London, passengers traveling on the Airbus A350-1000 began to notice something unusual. Reports suggest that some people onboard started to complain about a strong and unpleasant smell in parts of the aircraft.

A source explained the situation further, saying: "Obviously the family with the woman were distraught, and so were the crew."

"Many wanted to return to Hong Kong. But, to put it bluntly, if a passenger has already died, that is not viewed as an emergency."

A passenger recently died on a British Airways flight Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The source also shared more details with The Sun about how the crew handled the situation once it became clear what had happened: "A discussion was had about what to do with the body — with the flightdeck's request to lock it in a toilet rejected by crew."

"So they had to isolate the body, wrap it in materials, and move it to a galley at the rear of the plane."

"The galley had a heated floor, which some crew had overlooked, and towards the end of the flight there were claims that a foul smell was present in that region."

When the aircraft finally landed at Heathrow Airport, police were reportedly already waiting on the runway to meet the plane. The situation required immediate attention once the flight came to a stop.

Passengers were asked to remain seated for around 45 minutes after landing while authorities carried out their initial checks and investigations. During this time, no one was allowed to disembark.

British Airways later confirmed that a passenger had passed away during the flight. In a statement, a spokesperson said: "A customer sadly passed away on board and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this difficult time," a spokesperson said, adding: "We are supporting our crew and all procedures were correctly followed."

The flight was traveling to Heathrow airport from Hong Kong John Keeble/Getty Images

Although cases like this are not common, they are not completely unheard of in aviation. Long-haul flights especially can sometimes face medical emergencies, including situations where a passenger passes away.

Mandy Smith, a former flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic, spoke about how crews are trained to handle these difficult situations. She explained: "This has not happened to me, thankfully. It has happened to a friend of mine, where they've had a passenger pass away on the flight."

"We used to have to put passengers in the bathrooms, and then lock the bathrooms off."

However, using the bathroom to store a body is not always practical, and it can create additional complications during the flight.

"Because they would be seated on the toilet, as they sat there – if rigor mortis set in – then they would be then stuck in that position, and they wouldn't be able to fit in their coffin," Smith explained.

"Unfortunately, now, we have to lay them across the front of the seats and try and calm their loved ones down."

Incidents like this highlight the difficult decisions flight crews sometimes have to make while in the air, especially when there are limited options available. With hundreds of passengers onboard and strict aviation procedures to follow, crews must balance safety, practicality, and respect for those involved in a very challenging situation.

For passengers, these situations often unfold quietly, with little information shared during the flight. It is only after landing that the full details begin to emerge, giving a clearer picture of what took place behind the scenes.