Azul Under Scruitiny After Leaving Dead Body On Plane Seat For 10 Hours

A recent flight operating between Fort Lauderdale and Belo Horizonte had an unfortunate incident where a business class passenger died mid-flight. The woman, who unfortunately passed away, became suddenly ill on the flight and died of natural causes, according to a doctor onboard.

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras was quick to release a statement regarding the death.

‘Unfortunately, she did not survive and died during the flight, as confirmed by a doctor on board.’

AD8733

Operated by one of the airline’s five Airbus A330neo, the aircraft was operating as AD8733 from Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Florida, direct to Belo Horizonte / Confins–Tancredo Neves International Airport (CNF) on Monday, November 6. The flight was scheduled to depart from Fort Lauderdale at 21:15 but pushed back five minutes late at 21:20.

The flight, which took seven hours and 41 minutes, headed south-easterly with a cruising altitude of 39,000 feet. It is unclear of the exact time when the passenger passed away.

The aircraft touched down in Belo Horizonte on November 7 at 07:00, 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time of 07:20. According to reports, the woman remained in her seat until viewed by airport staff and medical professionals. Her body was then placed in a hearse, according to a statement from the Minas Gerais Civil Police obtained by The Mirror.

“As soon as we became aware of the facts, we requested the presence of a hearse at Confins airport to take the body to the Medical-Legal Institute.”

The cause of death remains unclear, and a post-mortem is to be carried out. Simple Flying extends its condolences to the family and friends affected by the passenger’s passing.

PR-AIW

Azul had deployed its A330-200 on the flight with registration PR-AIW, which holds serial number 462. The aircraft, which first took its first test flight on February 19th, 2002, has had a colorful life of 21 years in operation, according to data from Airfleets. It was first delivered to Emirates on March 12th, 2002, and operated for over a decade under registration A6-EAL. After its stint with the Dubai-based airline, it was sent to Sichuan Airlines, where it was registered as B-5907 and flew for over two years.

In December 2014, the aircraft made its way to Azul, where it has operated for the carrier since. Configured with 20 business class seats and 251 in economy, the plane is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 engines,

Read more: Where Azul Linhas Aéreas Is Flying The Airbus A330neo This Year.

Photo: Airbus

AD8730

After the passenger’s body was removed from the aircraft, data from Flightradar24.com shows that the corresponding flight was able to operate with only a minor delay. AD8730, a flight from Belo Horizonte to Orlando International Airport (MCO), departed at 11:57, two and a half hours behind the scheduled departure time of 09:30.

The flight took just over eight hours, touching down in Orlando at 18:09, an hour and forty minutes behind the expected arrival time of 16:30. The aircraft then had adequate time on the ground at MCO, allowing the corresponding flight to be only 30 minutes late for the next departure, AD8731.

Sources: The Mirror, Airfleets