RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A passenger identified as Celmira Ocampo died on a flight from Cali to Spain on November 17, apparently due to cardiac arrest. The woman was going to visit relatives in Madrid and traveled alone, so the crew did not find out until the end of the flight that she had died.
Her husband, who was waiting for her to report after arriving in Spain, found out some time later when no one had heard from her. Both her spouse and her son tried to contact the airline, and it was only four days later that they were given the information about the death of their relative.
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As Celmira’s body arrived in Spain, there was a debate as to who should assume the repatriation of the body – whether the airline Avianca for having died on the flight or the family – a cost that they could not assume so among the options is to cremate her. The husband does not explain why they did not contact him if they had his information.
According to the TuBarco portal, the airline issued a statement on the case: “Avianca regrets what happened to the passenger after the arrival of the flight to Madrid. Currently, efforts are focused on supporting her family in everything related to the repatriation to Colombia”. The same document indicates that data protection in Spain prevents the case from being handled publicly.
This media confirmed that Avianca would be willing to assume the costs of the repatriation of Celmira’s body.
On the other hand, in July, it was known that a group of Colombians who were traveling from Los Angeles, United States, to Bogotá, were trapped in Mexico since the Avianca airline plane had to make an emergency landing at the Benito Juarez International Airport, in the Mexican capital.
The emergency occurred at 4AM when a passenger fainted in mid-flight and had to receive emergency medical attention. After the forced landing, the woman was taken to a medical center, where it was ruled out as a case of Covid-19.
A female passenger presented health problems. Following the protocols, after providing first aid and as a precautionary measure, the captain in command decided to divert the flight to Mexico, so the crew notified airport health to provide the necessary assistance upon arrival of the flight,” reads the airline’s statement, adding that, “the diversion of the plane at no time represented an emergency.
After this incident, 200 passengers were taken to the immigration room of the Mexican air terminal, and according to several passengers who posted information on their Twitter accounts, they have had to wait for the inconvenience to be solved.
“What’s up, Avianca? We came from flight Av83 from Los Angeles to Bogotá, and they have left us stopped at Benito Juarez Mexico airport. They left us without biosecurity conditions. We have been in a lounge since 4AM! We need a solution!” wrote a passenger on the flight.
According to Semana magazine, several moments of abuse of authority were recorded during the wait. The magazine claimed that women could only go to the bathroom escorted by security, while men had to relieve themselves in the same room.