Medical emergency on Canary Islands flight to Tenerife

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A female passenger collapsed on Eurowings flight EW9558 from Düsseldorf to Tenerife South.
Medical staff on board stabilised the woman in around 20 minutes; her life was not in immediate danger.
Shortly before landing, the pilot was forced to go around because the control tower had authorised a take-off that was too close to the runway.

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There was a commotion on board flight EW9558 on Thursday morning whilst the plane was flying above the clouds. The Eurowings aircraft, en route from Düsseldorf to Tenerife South, had been in the air for just under an hour when the announcement that many passengers dread was made. The crew asked if there were any medical professionals on board, saying it was urgent.

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Immediately, a couple jumped up and rushed to the rear of the Airbus A320 neo. A female passenger had collapsed there. The cabin crew were already trying to speak to the woman, but initially without success. Another passenger hurried over to the group of helpers and anxious fellow passengers, and the woman was then given assistance.

After about 20 minutes, the passenger had been stabilised and calm was restored on board. The woman was given water and continued to receive care, whilst the medical staff on board were able to take their seats again. They were offered drinks by the crew. However, this was not to be the end of the incident.

Eurowings flight to Tenerife with two incidents

The flight was initially able to continue. A flight attendant explained that the woman was stable and responsive. For this reason, there was no emergency and the flight did not need to be interrupted. The doctor on board said that the passenger had probably been experiencing problems with her blood pressure. It was thought that stress and dehydration prior to the journey had been the causes of her collapse. There was therefore no immediate danger to her life.

If a passenger on board experiences health problems, a continuous descent is normally ordered. The zigzag flight path along the usual air routes – which can be thought of as roads above the clouds – can also be abandoned, thereby shortening the approach. However, the Eurowings aircraft was unable to take either of these measures.

The flight continued as normal. The approach to Tenerife initially appeared to be proceeding as usual. Then, just before touchdown, the pilot accelerated the aircraft and took off again. The reason was that the control tower had authorised a take-off that was too close in time to the scheduled landing. Consequently, the landing clearance was promptly revoked.

In the subsequent attempt, however, flight EW9558 was able to land normally. All passengers disembarked without further incident. The woman was also doing well, given the circumstances, as she left the aircraft.