HEARTFELT tributes have poured in for a British Airways crew member who was found dead in his hotel bed on a stopover between flights.
Irfan Ali Mirza’s colleagues raised the alarm when the 45-year-old did not report for duty on a flight back to the UK from San Francisco on Thursday.
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The dad-of-three checked in at the crew’s £150-a-night hotel on Tuesday after working a flight from Heathrow.
But concerns were raised and BA staff were then escorted by hotel managers to Irfan’s room who made the tragic discovery.
The crew was said to be too upset to continue with the flight to Heathrow which was cancelled at the last minute, disrupting travel plans for up to 850 passengers.
Heartfelt tributes from devastated family and friends have now poured in for Irfan who may have lain undiscovered for two days.
Danielle Crane wrote: “Just heartbreaking, one of most genuine, kindest and fun crew I’ve flown with.”
And Ranjit Benning wrote: “Irfan, rest in peace my brother. Such a sad loss.”
His brother Kamran Mirza wrote: “‘Cannot express how hard it is that Irfan left his parents, us three siblings and his wife and three young children behind. It’s totally heartbreaking.
“It has really shocked me and the rest of the family that Irfan is not with us anymore. Cannot express what we are going through right now.
“We both were born in the same month, June, only 4 days apart. There were times we celebrated our birthday at the same time.
“Now that moment will never come again. It’s heartbreaking.”
Mirza’s youngest brother, Rizzy, also thanked Irfan’s BA colleagues for their kind words and stories.
He said: “I cannot begin to express the sudden loss of my beautiful brother. It really has cut the family deep.
“Looking at all your lovely messages brings me some peace knowing that my brother was well loved and respected amongst you all.”
The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Irfan’s identity on Tuesday hours after his family identified him on social media, reports MailOnline.
Cops said the responding officers’ investigation of the scene “did not discover any evidence of foul play” and the body was taken by the medical examiner.
After Irfan was found dead, pilots returned to support their colleagues.
But flight BA284, on an Airbus A380-800, was cancelled although passengers were not told why.
They were given hotel rooms while BA staff tried to get them on other flights.
A source previously told The Sun: “The steward was a popular member of the team and this came as a bolt from the blue.
“The grim reality is that he may have been dead in his bed for some time.”