Man, 73, dies on flight after being delayed for 13 hours

A 73-year-old man passed away on an Etihad flight which was delayed for 13 hours on Saturday due to fog.

Business Insider said the man seemed to have died from natural causes in his seat.

Reports online said the elderly passenger was found unconscious but was breathing. The crew and a doctor on the flight were able to administer medical assistance on him.

The incident got the crew and passengers stressed out. The National, Abu Dhabi's English online publication, reported that one female passenger had a panic attack after being aware of the situation.

The crew continued to resuscitate the man until they reached their destination in Vienna, added The National. Further treatment was applied to the passenger even upon arrival.

Etihad Airways sent condolences to the family of the passenger and said their cabin crew provided all possible assistance for him on board.

The deceased was on a flight bound to Germany from Abu Dhabi.

This is the second flight which was reported to have been delayed for more than 10 hours over the same weekend.

Passengers on an Abu Dhabi flight to San Francisco were reportedly holed up in the plane with little food or water and back-up toilets due to a fog, reported USA Today.

Unhappy travellers took to social media to vent their frustrations about the delayed Etihad flight. Passengers were on the plane for a total of about 28 hours which includes the flight journey and delay.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg