CHENNAI: A 65-year-old passenger onboard a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai died of heart attack mid-air, prompting immediate action from airport authorities and causing delays to the aircraft's return journey.
The deceased, identified as Sivasubramaniam, an Indian-origin Malaysian citizen, began experiencing severe chest pain during the flight.
Flight attendants were alerted, and the pilot immediately contacted the Chennai airport control room requesting urgent medical assistance upon landing.
Responding swiftly, the Chennai airport control team alerted the on-site medical staff and facilitated a priority landing.
The flight, which was scheduled to land at 10.45 am, touched down 10 minutes early at 10.35 am at Chennai Airport.
Upon landing, the airport medical team boarded the aircraft and examined the passenger, but he was declared dead at the scene.
The Chennai Airport Police subsequently took custody of the body and transported it to Chromepet Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
The same aircraft was scheduled to depart for Kuala Lumpur at 11.45 am with 192 passengers.
However, due to the onboard fatality, airline staff delayed the departure to thoroughly sanitize and prepare the aircraft. The flight later departed at 1.47 pm, with a delay of two hours.