A nurse who battled to help a seriously ill passenger on a flight from Spain has told how she called on her 33 years' experience to help the man.
Nurse Aldona Ciudiskis was on a Jet2 aircraft flying from Alicante when fellow passenger Paul Carter stopped breathing.
The medical emergency caused the flight to be diverted from East Midlands Airport to London Gatwick where ambulances were waiting to rush the 66-year-old to hospital.
Passengers and cabin crew realised there was a problem when a man began to have serious breathing difficulties on Thursday, September 7.
Miss Ciudiskis, from Mickleover, said: "He was clearly distressed. When his inhaler didn't work, the cabin crew gave him an oxygen mask but he stopped breathing."
The 52-year-old, known to friends as Donna, stepped up and began trying to resuscitate him as Mr Carter had become unresponsive.
She said: "We got him onto the floor of the plane and started CPR. As soon as that happened, the pilot diverted the plane to the nearest airport. It was exhausting.
"When I got tired, there were others to help. The cabin crew were absolutely brilliant and there was another traveller who was trained in first aid," said the nurse who works at the Royal Derby Hospital. She was travelling back from Spain with her daughter.
"Taking it in turns, it must have been about 30 minutes before the plane landed and the ambulance crew took over. It was a terrifying experience. The man's son was clearly upset and other passengers were anxious but everyone kept calm."
Unfortunately, despite ambulance staff trying to help Mr Carter at Gatwick, he was later pronounced dead.
A spokesman for the South East Coast Ambulance Service said: "We can confirm that paramedics were called to the runway at Gatwick Airport and took a man to East Surrey Hospital with a life-threatening condition."
Mr Carter's ex-wife, Jo Allen, 49, of Ashbourne, said Mr Carter had moved to Benidorm in 2015 after living in Ashbourne for seven years.
The pair, who were married for 18 years, had two children together, Jamie and Jack Carter.
Jamie, 26, was on the plane at the time of the incident, after visiting his father in Benidorm. Mr Carter was due to stay with his other son, Jack, 23, for 10 days.
The family have now thanked Jet2 staff and those who tried to help Mr Carter on the flight who tried to resuscitate him.
Mrs Allen said: "He had COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) anyway, so he did have problems breathing in general. While he was at the airport he was struggling for breath and he was taken to the plane in a wheelchair.
"Jet2 were amazing with Paul before they got on the flight. Jamie woke up to a commotion on the flight and realised his dad was struggling to breathe and people were trying to help him. The staff were amazing with Jamie and so supportive while they were still on the plane."
Jamie has been contacted by the airline since, who have refunded Mr Carter's air fare.
Mrs Allen said: "We think he has had a heart attack, but we are waiting for the coroner's report. I don't think there's any more that the staff could have done.
"They were amazing, all the services that were involved, they were all so helpful and did the best that they could. Even though I've remarried, Paul was my best friend. It's just such a shock."
