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Woman Dies on 17-Hour-Long Flight as Police Called to 'Sudden Death'
Crew and doctors gave urgent assistance before the woman died, and investigators are examining the cause of the sudden death.
On Tuesday, a passenger died on a Qantas flight traveling from New York to Auckland, New Zealand, with emergency services meeting the aircraft upon arrival.
Qantas confirmed the death, stating "urgent assistance was provided by crew and doctors onboard but sadly they passed away," while investigations are underway on behalf of the coroner.
International Air Transport Association guidelines dictate procedures for in-flight fatalities, specifying that bodies should be moved away from passengers and covered with a blanket if a body bag is unavailable.
Fatalities on commercial flights remain extremely uncommon, according to New England Journal of Medicine research, though this incident follows a recent British Airways passenger death on a 14-hour flight from Hong Kong to London.
Qantas has offered condolences to the passenger's family and confirmed that standard procedures were followed to support the crew and manage the response.