JET passengers complained after the body of a dead flier was stored in a heated galley for 13½ hours.
The woman in her 60s passed away an hour after take-off from Hong Kong.
But British Airways pilots decided to press on to Heathrow rather than turn back.
By the time the Airbus A350-1000 was nearing landing, there were complaints about the odour.
A source said: “Obviously the family with the woman were distraught, and so were the crew.
“Many wanted to return to Hong Kong. But, to put it bluntly, if a passenger has already died, that is not viewed as an emergency.
“A discussion was had about what to do with the body — with the flightdeck’s request to lock it in a toilet rejected by crew.
“So they had to isolate the body, wrap it in materials, and move it to a galley at the rear of the plane.
“The galley had a heated floor, which some crew had overlooked, and towards the end of the flight there were claims that a foul smell was present in that region.”
Police met Sunday’s Flight BA32 and asked up to 331 passengers on board to remain in their seats for 45 minutes while they carried out investigations.
All crew were offered support by bosses but The Sun understands some have been off work with trauma.
A source praised the crew. They said no single protocol exists for handling a deceased passenger during a flight and added that the airline received no formal complaint.
BA said: “All procedures were correctly followed.
“Our thoughts are with the woman’s friends and family.”
