A PASSENGER DIED on board a flight which diverted to Shannon Airport in the early hours of this morning. 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight 714 was travelling from Paramaribo in Suriname on the north eastern coast of South America to Amsterdam in The Netherlands at the time. 

The Boeing 777-300 (ER) aircraft was about a two hours southwest of Ireland when the flight contacted air traffic controllers here to advise them of their situation. The crew confirmed they had a male passenger on board who had fallen ill. 

Two doctors travelling on the flight are believed to have rendered assistance, however, the man, believed to be in his late 50s, subsequently passed away. 

The flight crew sought clearance to divert to Shannon and asked that the relevant authorities there be advised. The flight landed at 4.22am and was met at the terminal by airport authorities, a local doctor and members of An Garda Síochána. 

The man was pronounced dead on board the aircraft and his body later removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem examination will be carried out. 

Gardaí spoke to the senior cabin crew member who informed them of the circumstances.

It’s understood the man was travelling with his family at the time. 

A Garda spokesman confirmed that members attended the airport this morning after receiving a report of a ‘sudden death’ on board a flight.

Gardaí confirmed that a post-mortem examination will be carried out while arrangements to repatriate the man’s body will also be made. 

The flight continued its journey to Amsterdam at 6am. 

Another KLM flight diverted to Shannon Airport on New Year’s Day after a young woman suffered a suspected stroke. She was rushed to University Hospital Limerick after the flight landed in Shannon at 1.50pm on Sunday.

In 2022, Shannon Airport dealt with around 60 unscheduled and emergency landings of which 16 were medical diversions. Last October, a passenger who fell ill on board a flight from Turkey to Columbia was pronounced dead after a flight diverted to Shannon.