Airport company apologizes for freak coffin incident

Swissport said it was “deeply sorry” after employees bungled the transportation of a body to a funeral

Airport service provider Swissport International has apologized for forgetting to remove a coffin containing the body of an Irish citizen from a plane at Dublin Airport. The aircraft flew back to Greece with the man’s remains on board, forcing the distraught family to rearrange the funeral. 

“We are deeply sorry for the family’s experience at such a difficult time and did everything we could to ensure things were resolved as quickly as possible,” Swissport said in a statement to the Irish Independent on Sunday. The company said an internal investigation had been launched and promised to “make sure lessons are learned.”

According to the Irish Independent, the incident occurred on May 22 with the body of a man who had died abroad. His remains were delivered on an Aegean Airlines aircraft from Greece to Dublin, where his family was waiting with a funeral car outside the airport. However, the coffin was not removed from the plane due to a “misload” and was later flown back to Greece.

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Although the body was delivered to Ireland by a different airline the following day, the family was left “devastated” by the situation, the publication said.