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Several people, including the airline crew, became seriously ill on a British Airways flight from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Egypt. The aircraft was forced to divert to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) and firefighters in full hazmat gear stormed the plane upon its arrival. When no cause for the in-flight illness was discovered, the aircraft was cleared to continue flying the next day.
Melanie Wells, 61, was among those on board the December 23rd flight. She was traveling with her 19-year-old daughter Imogen for an eight-day all-inclusive vacation. She recalled to the Daily Mail that she began to feel unwell shortly after boarding. This was initially thought to be related to the temperature inside the cabin, but it’s unclear what really caused the issue. The onboard situation quickly escalated as more travelers and crewmembers also reported feeling sick.
The plane was forced to divert and make an emergency. Footage of the incident showed responders in full protective breathing apparatus entering the aircraft with scanning equipment to assess the situation. British Airways later confirmed that the diversion was carried out “as a precaution” following a technical issue. The airline stressed there was “no evidence of toxic fumes on-board.”
Ms. Wells told the Daily Mail that her eight-day holiday was impacted due to an eight-hour delay in Italy and the eventual cancellation of that flight. The passengers were flown back to London instead of continuing on to Egypt and this impacted her prepaid trip. British Airways has since refused to cover £500 she lost on the first night of accommodation at her resort, but has offered £2,130 to cover the cancelled flight, meals, and other expenses.
It’s troubling to me that so many people could fall ill and that authorities wore hazmat suits, but there is no resolution or root cause identified. This is not the only time an odd odor has caused a diversion. Last year, a Delta flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was diverted after a strange smell was coming from the cockpit. A flight from Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) made an emergency landing over fumes and bad smells around the same time. In August 2024, another flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) found pilots and flight attendants sickened from another off scent.
Anthony’s Take: Thankfully, no one seems to have any lasting effects, but it is troubling that a smell could cause this sort of health scare.
(Featured Image Credit: @DisasterAlert2 via X.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
