Taiwanese airline EVA Air is under investigation after a 34-year-old flight attendant died on 10 Oct — just 15 days after reportedly working on a long-haul flight despite being unwell.
According to Focus Taiwan, the flight attendant, surnamed Sun, began feeling ill during the return flight from Milan to Taipei on 24 Sept but was allegedly instructed to continue working.
Source: HK01
Upon landing at Taoyuan International Airport the next day, she sought treatment at a nearby clinic and was prescribed medication before returning home.
Her condition soon worsened, and she was admitted to Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital on 26 Sept.
She was later transferred to China Medical University Hospital in Taichung on 8 Oct, where she died two days later.
Following her death, allegations surfaced online that Ms Sun’s supervisors had ignored her deteriorating condition.
An anonymous poster claiming to be a fellow flight attendant alleged that Ms Sun had already shown signs of illness on the outbound flight to Milan.
Source: EVA Air, for illustration purposes only
Despite this, the cabin manager purportedly told her to continue working the entire 13-hour return journey and refused to contact Medlink, a ground-based service that provides support during in-flight medical emergencies.
Witnesses also claimed that requests to have a medical team ready upon landing were denied, forcing Ms Sun to leave the airport on her own after arrival.
“This was not some regrettable coincidence, but the result of systemic and long-term indifference to crew members’ health,” the post read.
Records reportedly showed that Ms Sun had worked an average of 75 flight hours per month over the past six months.
While this was within the legal limit, the Taoyuan City Office of Labor Inspection has launched an investigation into whether she was denied medical assistance or discouraged from taking sick leave, and whether proper medical and reporting procedures were followed.
Source: ST Headline
A series of text messages between Ms Sun and her cabin chief revealed how her condition worsened after returning to Taiwan.
On 25 Sept, Ms Sun told her supervisor that she had received an injection at Taoyuan Airport for pain and fever before being referred to a rheumatologist.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
Doctors suspected a rare autoimmune disorder known as Adult-onset Still’s Disease (AOSD), an inflammatory condition that can cause pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart), pneumonia, or macrophage activation syndrome, a severe complication that may lead to multi-organ failure.
She said she was taking medication and might require hospitalisation but reassured her supervisor that she was “feeling a bit better”.
When the cabin chief checked in again on 1 Oct, Ms Sun said she was still undergoing tests and that the cause of her illness had yet to be confirmed.
By 10 Oct, however, the replies came from her family, who informed the cabin chief that Ms Sun was in intensive care and had been unconscious for several days.
They later confirmed that she had passed away.
Source: HK01
Colleagues remembered Ms Sun as cheerful, friendly, and always smiling — a flight attendant who loved travelling and was affectionately nicknamed “Black Pearl” by her peers.
EVA Air said it was “deeply saddened” by Ms Sun’s death and has begun an internal investigation.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) stated that the purser in charge did not mention any sick crew members in the post-flight report, adding that it is verifying these details with the airline.
The agency will continue to monitor the case and review whether EVA Air complied with all safety and labour regulations.
According to Focus Taiwan, EVA Air has been fined a total of NT$2.95 million (around S$125,000) since 2023 for seven labour violations, mainly related to staff overtime.
Both the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union and EVA Air’s corporate union have called for a thorough investigation and urged the airline to strengthen its sick leave policies so that employees can report health concerns without fear of being penalised.
Also read: EVA Air faces backlash after texting deceased flight attendant to ‘justify’ leave during her funeral
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Featured image adapted from HK01 and EVA Airways Corp. on Facebook, for illustration purposes only.