Air Albania flight attendant, 24, dies suddenly after plane lands

Air Albania flight attendant Greta Dyrmishi died suddenly on duty at Stansted Airport. Photo / Wikimedia Commons, Instragram

A flight attendant who died suddenly when her plane landed revealed how much she “loved her job” in a final Instagram post.

Greta Dyrmishi, 24, a cabin crew member for Air Albania, was travelling from Tirana, the Albanian capital, to Essex in the UK, on December 21 when she suddenly fainted on the tarmac.

Paramedics provided first aid and CPR after arriving at the scene following reports of a woman being seriously ill, but she sadly died.

A post-mortem found that the 24-year-old had died from “sudden adult death syndrome”.

Dyrmishi, who regularly posted about her travels to Instagram, shared an aerial view of city lights at night, taken around June last year, with the caption: “That’s why I love my job”.

Flight attendant Greta Dyrmishi, 24, died suddenly after landing at Stansted Airport in the UK. Photo / Instagram

She shared another clip from a plane window, roughly nine weeks before her death, that show vast ocean, buildings and countryside.

Dyrmishi also shared footage on Instagram where she was seen enjoying a night out with colleagues.

The Air Albania crew member suddenly fainted and after 10 minutes, ‘there was no pulse’. Photo / JOQ Albania

Essex Coroner’s Court heard this week the young woman was given basic first aid on the tarmac when she appeared to faint after the plane landed.

“Ten minutes later there was no pulse and CPR commenced. Paramedics treated her and confirmed she had passed away,” Michelle Brown, area coroner for Essex, said.

“A post-mortem found her cause of death to be sudden adult death syndrome.”

'I love my job': Her final post was taken from the window of a plane. Photo / Instagram

Sudden Adult Death syndrome, also known as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) is “when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest, but the cause of the cardiac arrest can’t be found”, according to the British Heart Foundation.

The Baker Heart and Diabetees Institute (of Australia) explains it is one of the biggest killers of Australians under 50 and is five times more likely to affect men.

“The primary cause of SCD in adults 35 and over is coronary heart disease. In younger people (under 35) it is congenital heart conditions and heart rhythm disorders,” it states on its site.

Brown said at the time of the incident, Dyrmishi was at the front by the doors on a plane at Stansted Airport.

“This is suitable for a documentary inquest in due course,” she added.

A statement issued by Air Albania at the time of the flight attendant’s death said: “On December 21, after disembarking the passengers from our flight to London, one of our cabin crew Greta Dyrmishi had a heart attack.

“Even after all medical assistance was provided immediately, we still lost her.

“She was taken to the hospital in London, and procedures are being followed.

“From the first moments, Air Albania contacted her family, and we continue to be close to them in these difficult moments.

“In respect to Greta and her family, we decided to share the news with the public at the appropriate time.

“We will always remember Greta as a passionate professional, an excellent co-worker, and a great friend to all of us. May God mercy her and give peace to the family. Air Albania will continue to be with her family.”