A woman has died “suddenly” during a 17-hour flight from New York to New Zealand, despite efforts by crew members and medical professionals onboard to save her.

Emergency services were on standby when the aircraft landed in Auckland, where authorities later confirmed the incident and launched an investigation. A coroner is now examining the circumstances surrounding the death.

Airline officials confirmed that urgent attempts were made to revive the passenger mid-flight. “Urgent assistance was provided by crew and doctors onboard but sadly they passed away,” a spokesperson said. “In line with standard procedure, emergency services met the aircraft as part of the response.”

The airline also extended condolences to the woman’s family and friends following the tragic incident.

The case comes just weeks after a separate mid-air death on a British Airways flight from Hong Kong to London. In that instance, a woman in her 60s died about an hour after take-off, but the flight continued to its destination rather than turning back.

A source described the emotional toll on those onboard, 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 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.”

On arrival, police boarded the aircraft and asked up to 331 passengers to remain seated for about 45 minutes while initial investigations were carried out. (Vanguard)

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