A Gulf Air flight attendant has tragically died after suffering a heart attack while working a flight from Bahrain to Paris Charles de Gaulle.
The Manama-based airline confirmed on Wednesday that veteran crew member Yasser Saleh died on arrival at the hospital on Tuesday morning.
Saleh was part of the operating crew on Gulf Air flight GF19 which departed Bahrain at 1:40 am on Tuesday morning. He was taken ill around an hour and half into the flight as the Airbus A321neo flew over Iraq.
The aircraft was immediately diverted to the Iraqi city of Erbil but despite the best efforts of medics, Saleh was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
“The national carrier expresses its deepest condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones, and confirms that the flight resumed to Paris as scheduled,” a spokesperson for the Bahraini flag carrier said.
“Gulf Air reassures that the safety of its passengers and crew comes at the top of its priorities, and thanks the affected flight’s passengers for their patience and understanding,” the statement continued.
The plane remained on the ground for around three hours before continuing onto Paris, presumably with the same crew members, where it landed at 9:52 am.
Unsurprisingly, an inflight heart attack is treated as a medical emergency that will result in a diversion to an airport with suitable facilities at the first opportunity. Flight attendants are trained to provide immediate medical support, and most airlines have professional medical support available via satellite phone.
