An 80-year-old man was arrested after reportedly attempting to board a plane with his wife’s body in a wheelchair.
Oliver Radcliffe Live News Reporter and Rita Sobot Spain Correspondent
12:01, 13 Jan 2026
The incident occurred at Tenerife South Airport (stock)(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A pensioner was detained at a packed airport after allegedly attempting to board a flight with his deceased wife in a wheelchair.
The 80 year old man was making his way through Tenerife South Airport with his wife’s body in the chair when security staff intervened after growing concerned that the woman appeared unwell. Workers at the Canary Island airport observed that the woman was not responding and felt unusually cold to the touch.
The man had progressed as far as the metal detector arch during departure security screening before staff discovered the woman, prompting the activation of emergency procedures.
The incident, which occurred several months ago, has only now emerged following reports from Spanish publication Diario de Avisos. Airport operator Aena insisted the Spanish article relates to an incident detected several months ago, emphasising that no similar cases have occurred since.
Further details regarding the couple’s nationalities, the carrier they were due to fly with, or their intended destination have not been disclosed, reports the Daily Record.
The Diario de Avisos report stated: “The man was pushing the wheelchair in which his wife was.
“At first glance, they looked like an elderly couple about to embark. However, after passing through the portico, the guard realised that something was not right.”
The man was arrested at Tenerife South Airport(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
An airport employee revealed: “The guard approached the woman, and the man gave her the wheelchair. When he took her hand, she noticed that she had an abnormally low temperature and was not breathing.”
The report continues to state that after a supervisor was alerted, security agents, the Civil Guard and forensics arrived at the scene in a matter of minutes.
When questioned about the incident, the husband alleged his wife had only just died inside the airport itself, however this claim is currently under investigation by authorities.
The husband is reported to have been cooperative with local police; however, investigations into the woman’s death are still ongoing several weeks after the incident itself.
Echoing the incident in Tenerife, just last month, an elderly woman passed away on an EasyJet flight from Malaga to London.
In the incident on the plane heading to Gatwick, some passengers claimed she was already deceased when her family brought her on board. EasyJet maintained that she had been deemed fit to fly before boarding.