Ryanair first-aid kit ‘may have breached rules’

THE first-aid kit aboard a Ryanair flight on which a woman died may not have been compliant with regulations, despite previous assertions by the airline.

Kevin Humphreys, director of safety regulation at the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), told the Oireachtas Transport Committee he believed a resuscitation aid was not in the kit.

In addition, he understood the seal on the kit was broken before the incident in which 25-year-old Italian fine art student Usha Massagrande collapsed and died on a flight from Venice to Dublin in September. This would also represent a breach of regulations.

Two Irish nurses and an Italian doctor who came to Ms Massagrande’s assistance on the flight said they were horrified at the lack of medical equipment aboard and wrote to the IAA.

Members of the committee responded angrily when Mr Humphreys said he believed the cabin crew had done everything possible in the circumstances, despite the fact the IAA had not investigated the incident.

The committee agreed to arrange for the medics involved to meet with Mr Humphreys. An investigation is expected to follow.