PAL to probe passenger’s death onboard flight

Sought for comments if the airline staff asked for the passenger’s medical documents, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) they would look into the matter. (File Photo by Roderick Eime/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

MANILA — The Philippine Airlines (PAL) will investigate the incident involving a 63-year old woman who died on Monday while aboard her flight bound for Manila.

On Tuesday, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) reported that the woman was a passenger of flight PR 117 from Vancouver, Canada.

“The patient was pronounced dead while on board,” the MIAA said in a message sent to reporters.

A medical team was sent upon the woman’s arrival and the MIAA said: “(medical) history revealed that patient has breast cancer, with kidney and bone metastasis.”

The MIAA said the airline crew apparently declared the passenger was already weak when she boarded the aircraft.

Sought for comments if the airline staff asked for the passenger’s medical documents, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) they would look into the matter.

“I will send an email to the country manager, and ask what the airline staff did.

Because if the patient was sick, there has to be medical clearance,” she said.

Villaluna added that she would find out whether the passenger has a doctor’s certification.

“Let me check if the patient came from Manila, and then from Canada to Manila. Because if she traveled from Manila, the doctor should have also provided her with certification from Manila,” she said.

Meanwhile, the MIAA said the passenger died due to cardio-respiratory arrest etiology in end-stage renal failure.

It added that a quarantine medical officer has seen and cleared the patient upon arrival.