Airplane journeys are a scary experience for many people. Travel stress, closed areas and airports, as well as increasing flight safety and accident news may increase concerns.

News such as a person sitting with them on the plane from Melbourne to Melbourne can increase these concerns. It is a sad situation for a passenger to die, but there are certain procedures for such events. Considering the number of people traveling every day, it can be said that these events are not extremely rare.

Statistics and Facts

According to a study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine in 2021, the worldwide incidence of intra -plane medical emergencies is 18.2 per million passengers and the death rate is 0.21 per million passengers. According to the International Association of Air Transport (IATA), the number of air passengers in 2025 is expected to exceed five billion. If the mortality rate remains the same, it means that 1000 people will lose their lives this year.

In a medical emergency, the aircraft is usually directed to the nearest airport. Unfortunately, on some routes, airports may be away for hours. The cabin crew intervenes with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and medical officials on the aircraft, but sometimes it may not be enough. Death can also occur without a visible medical emergency.

Passengers’ reactions and iata instructions

Some people refuse to sit next to a dead body, while others may not see it as a problem. Some may even choose to sit with a person who died rather than sitting next to a baby on a long flight. It is not easy to deal with death and hundreds of meters above the ground is more challenging. People’s reactions will vary from person to person.

IATA’s instructions on the plane assume that the person who has no sign of life for 30 minutes is killed with the use of CPR and automatic external defibrillator (AED). It is recommended that the deceased should be placed in a body bag, zipper to the neck and closing his eyes. Alternatively, it can be wrapped in a blanket and can be moved to a seat with as few people as possible. However, if the aircraft is full, the person can be left in the original seat.

A death in the air is not easy for anyone who is involved in the event. However, what needs to be done in such a situation is to know the rules and to obey them.