article_detail

A British holidaymaker has died at Lanzarote Airport after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest just minutes after landing on the island.

 

The man, who had travelled on a Jet2 flight from the UK, collapsed in Terminal 1 shortly after passengers began to disembark on Thursday February 12 in the afternoon. Emergency teams rushed to the scene, but despite their quick response they were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at around 3.45pm.

 

Witnesses said the passenger fell ill while queuing in the corridor leading to passport control, one of the airport’s busiest areas. They described a chaotic scene as people tried to move aside in the crowded corridor and several passengers visibly shaken by the incident “You just never expect something like that to happen right in front of you,” one passenger said quietly while waiting for their luggage.

 

The Guardia Civil later confirmed the death was due to natural causes and said there were no suspicious circumstances. Local sources suggested the man had suffered a heart attack, though his age or whether he was travelling alone has not been confirmed.

 

According to airport operator Aena, the Jet2 aircraft landed at 2.26pm and a medical alert was raised 22 minutes later, at 2.48pm. The company rejected claims that passengers had been waiting for long periods to reach the border checkpoint.

 

Thursdays are among Lanzarote’s busiest arrival days, when several flights from the UK land within short timeframes. Since Brexit, British travellers must go through full passport checks alongside other non-EU nationals, often creating bottlenecks in the arrivals hall. More than 700,000 passengers passed through the airport during the first month of the year, prompting concerns from staff about congestion. A Policía Nacional union has even advised travellers to arrive at the airport up to four hours before departure to allow for delays during peak times.

 

 

Image: Ben Elliott/Unsplash