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British Airways pilot dies of heart attack shortly before he was going to fly packed passenger plane

The unnamed pilot was preparing to captain the flight from Cairo, Egypt to Heathrow, London

CAIRO, EGYPT: A British Airways pilot has tragically died after suffering a heart attack just before he was due to fly a packed jet back to the UK. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was preparing to captain the flight from Cairo, Egypt, to Heathrow, London, when he collapsed in the crew's hotel.

The veteran pilot somehow managed to reach the foyer from the hotel room. There, his colleagues performed CPR but were unable to save him. The airline had to postpone the scheduled Airbus A321 flight, but passengers on board were not informed of the reason for their wait. A source said, "It has rocked BA. It doesn't bear imagining if he had suffered a heart attack at 30,000ft," reports The Sun. The pilot had suffered from health problems in the months leading up to his untimely death.

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Pilot's body was flown in Boeing 787

The pilot's body was brought back to the United Kingdom in a Boeing 787. The wide-body Dreamliner was flown to Egypt specifically for this purpose, as there was no room for the coffin in the cargo hold of the Airbus A321 on which it was to fly. The airline had the task of informing the veteran pilot's family of his sudden death. They said, "Our thoughts are with our colleagues' friends and family at this very sad time."

'That’s terrible'

Concerned Internet users discussed the pilot's sudden death on Twitter, writing, "Veteran British Airways pilot collapses and dies of a heart attack shortly before he was due to captain a packed Airbus A321 from Cairo to London - 2nd such incident this month I fear a major airline crash is now only a matter of time. #Diedsuddenly." Another Twitter user chimed in, "Oh that’s terrible," they tweeted. Some Twitter users have also claimed that the pilot was likely unvaccinated. A tweet read, "I've said it before, im not flying unless the pilots have evidence of no jab," while another added, "British Airways confirms four vaccinated pilots have recently died, claims no link to vaccines Friday, June 18, 2021 by: Mike Adams Tags: British Airways, crisis talks, deaths." Another tweet read, "So let's lets lower the bar for heart health among the pilots. Can't find enough healthy ones anymore. Suddenly can't find healthy ones. I wonder why?" 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.