Overview
- Chris Neill, 40, fell ill on a Jet2 flight from Liverpool to Burgas on September 16, 2024, prompting an emergency landing in Cologne.
- An off-duty paramedic, an off-duty nurse and the crew performed prolonged CPR with an AED before handing over to German medics, and he later died in hospital.
- Parents Mal and Lesley Neill raised nearly £24,000 on GoFundMe, with about £15,000 used for repatriation and the remainder placed into trusts for sons Reece and Archie.
- Mal Neill says his son believed a bank-linked travel policy covered him but it had lapsed after a change of account, urging holidaymakers to verify active insurance before travel.
- Mal flew to Germany to help his grandsons return home and the family has kept close contact with the paramedic, marking the anniversary with memorial activities including a Snowdon climb.