Dad of two who died on Jet2 flight to Liverpool Airport was with his children
Chris Neill, 40, was travelling with his two sons when he suffered a heart attack, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
A Jet2 flight to Liverpool John Lennon Airport was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany after a man died mid-flight in front of fellow passengers and his family.
Flight LS3214 from Bourgas, in Bulgaria, was diverted to Cologne Bonn Airport after dad-of-two Chris Neill, 40, suffered a heart attack two hours into the journey. He was travelling with his two sons, Archie, 8, and Reece, 19.
The crew on the Boeing 737 declared an emergency over the radio and made a rapid descent to Cologne. However, despite the best efforts of the crew and two medically trained passengers Chris died.
The Jet2 flight was met by emergency services after touching down on runway eight at Cologne Airport at around 2.30pm on September 16 and was parked in a remote area. The flight continued to Liverpool at about 10.20pm.
Chris’s body remains in Germany and his parents, Mal and Lesley, have set up a GoFundMe page to help finance the repatriation of their son and organise his funeral. The 40-year-old had travelled to Bulgaria apparently unaware his travel insurance through Halifax Bank had lapsed.
A Jet2 spokesman said: “We can confirm that flight LS3214 from Bourgas to Liverpool John Lennon diverted to Cologne on Monday 16th September, due to a customer requiring medical assistance. Regrettably, we can confirm that the customer sadly passed away. We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the customer’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”