THE funeral of an Irish man who died in Greece had to be rearranged after his body was accidentally left on a plane at Dublin Airport and returned to the Mediterranean country.
The family of the deceased have received an apology from the handling company responsible for ground services at the airport, and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
The Sunday Independent reported that the Aegean Airlines flight from Greece landed in Dublin on May 22.
The deceased's family were waiting at the airport with a hearse, but were later told that the plane carrying the remains of their loved one had taken off again with the body still on board.
It was reported that the coffin was overlooked in a "missload" incident, and the Sunday Independent said the family were left "devastated" by the error.
Another airline is understood to have brought the man's body back to Dublin Airport the following day, when it was claimed by the bereaved family.
The handling company, Swissport, has launched an internal investigation into how the coffin was initially missed.
“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," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
“We are now conducting an urgent investigation to make sure lessons are learned.”
The Irish News contacted DAA (Dublin Airport Authority) for comment.
