A popular and well-liked British Airways pilot has tragically died during a layover on the island of St Lucia in front of stunned holidaymakers just hours before he was due to fly back to the United Kingdom.
The 47-year-old Senior First Officer was due to operate British Airways flight BA2158 was due to depart from the island of Grenada on Monday evening for the short hop to St Lucia, where the Boeing 777 was due to continue onto London Gatwick.
British Airways bosses were forced to cancel both flights at the last minute in the aftermath of the tragedy and grief-stricken crew who had been working with the pilot are due to fly back to London on a different flight.
Sources told The Sun that the airline is arranging counselling for crew affected by the pilot’s sudden and unexpected death, while BA is in communication with the man’s family.
“He was the life and soul; a really popular guy and just 47-years-old old. He collapsed suddenly in a public area,” the source told the tabloid newspaper. “The Senior First Officer was very popular and his death was completely out of the blue.”
The airline is now reportedly working with local officials in St Lucia to arrange the pilot’s repatriation to the UK.
In a statement, a spokesperson for British Airways said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time.”
Last month, a veteran Turkish Airlines captain died mid-flight during a flight from Seattle to Istanbul when he suddenly fainted in front of his colleagues.
The 59-year-old senior pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had only undergone a routine medical examination in March, during which no underlying health conditions were identified.
Captain Ilcehin Pehlivan collapsed around four hours into the ultra-long-haul flight as the Airbus A350 aircraft was flying over Greenland. The other two pilots on the plane diverted the aircraft to New York JFK, but despite the best efforts of the crew to revive Captain Pehlivan, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
