An elderly British passenger was wheeled onto an easyJet flight from Spain to Gatwick when she was already dead, horrified holidaymakers have claimed.

The 89-year-old was helped on board the aircraft by five of her relatives who, witnesses say, told airline staff she was unwell and had fallen asleep.

But just before take off, cabin crew were alerted that the woman had passed away. The plane was turned around before it left the runway – and the flight was delayed by 12 hours.

Fellow passengers told how the body had been pushed by a wheelchair to the group’s seats at the rear of the aircraft and lifted into her seat, assisted by five members of her family.

They claimed the group had only been permitted to get onto the plane because they told a boarding clerk, who had questioned the woman’s apparent ill health, that she was ‘just tired’.

One passenger even claimed to have heard one of the group tell the clerk: ‘It’s OK, we’re doctors’.

The plane then started taxiing to the end of the runway – but then dramatically stopped moments before take-off when the suspicious cabin crew realised she was dead, witnesses said.

EasyJet today insisted that the concerned passengers were wrong, the passenger had a fit to fly certificate – and was alive when she boarded the plane. 

Passenger Petra Boddington said: ‘What were easyJet ground staff thinking today? They asked the family five times if this woman was ok… she was clearly not ok!

Passenger Petra Boddington took to Facebook to claim that the elderly British passenger was ‘clearly not ok’ when she boarded the flight from Malaga to Gatwick 

Another passenger, Tracy-Ann Kitching (pictured) claimed that she believed that the woman, 89, was already dead when her family wheeled her onto the the plane

A short time after the doors shut and the jet was trvaelling down the runway, it was confirmed that the woman had passed away and the plane was turned around

easyJet said the woman had a fit-to-fly certificate and insist she had been alive when she was pushed onto the flight by five relatives who told cabin crew that she was ‘tired’ and ‘unwell’  

‘To the naked eye she looked like she was already dead, slumped unconscious in a wheelchair, so why would she be allowed on to the flight and then disrupt everyone’s plans… purely to save the family repatriation?!?

‘If I was drunk they wouldn’t let me on.. but apparently dead is ok?! EasyJet what’s going on?’

Another passenger who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘Everyone on the plane thought she looked dead when she arrived – she should never have been passed as fit to fly.’

And another, called Tracy-Ann Kitching, took to social media to express her outrage.

She wrote on Facebook: ‘easyJet – you are unbelievable! Why did you let a dead person on our flight?!

‘Special assistance [the service for boarding passengers with a disability or reduced mobility] are responsible too; they should have raised the issue.’

‘I saw her wheeled onto the plane; someone was holding her head as they went past me! An actual doctor onboard [confirmed] she was already dead when they put her in her seat.’

She went on: ‘However I must show empathy for the poor person who died and the family as well as your cabin and ground crew; what a terrible situation for them.

‘I must also praise the First Officer [co-pilot] who came out and patiently answered our questions. He was professional and personable – thank you.’

She said, of the party who brought the dead woman onboard: ‘I hope the Spanish authorities throw the book at them!

Ms Kitching continued: ‘We’ve just seen the family looking very sheepish as they b****y should. Should have been removed in handcuffs.’

She went on to explain that the co-pilot told passengers he would write a report on the events of the flight, using their testimonies.

It is not known what happened to the woman’s body after it was removed – or to the family members with her though they are not believed to have been arrested after he woman’s mortal status was discovered.

The flight had been scheduled to depart from the Spanish holiday destination at 11.15am, landing around two hours later at 1.10pm.

But after the strange incident passengers suffered delays of almost 12hours, with the flight not finally departing until 10.47pm local time, finally landing at Gatwick at around midnight.

There is ordinarily complex protocol to follow to transport human remains across borders.

They would often be taken on cargo rather than passenger planes and stored in a specialist casket in the hold rather than in the cabin and the death needs to be registered and certified.

Other passengers complained that all they had for the long delay was food and drink vouchers.

The flight was delayed by 12 hours as passengers had to wait at Malaga airport to return home

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga confirmed officers had been called onto the plane because of an elderly British woman, adding: ‘She was pronounced dead on the aircraft which had been due to leave Malaga for London just after 11am yesterday morning.’

An easyJet spokesman said: ‘Flight EZY8070 from Malaga to London Gatwick returned to stand prior to departure due to a customer onboard requiring urgent medical assistance. The flight was met by emergency services however the customer sadly passed away.

‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the customer, and we are offering support and assistance at this difficult time.

‘The wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority and we would like to thank passengers for their understanding for the delay.’