Nedumbassery: A Keralite woman gave birth to a baby boy onboard the Air India London-Kochi flight.
As the flight was diverted to Frankfurt in Germany to ensure hospital care for the woman and the baby, the flight arrived in Kochi six hours late. Pathanamthitta native Mariya Philip and her baby are now at the hospital in Frankfurt.
The mid-air delivery happened on the Air India's Dreamliner flight that commenced its journey from London on Tuesday night (7pm IST).
The woman, who was seven months pregnant, went into labour soon after having dinner. The cabin crew were informed, and two doctors were identified onboard. Four nurses, travelling to Kochi, also assisted.
The galley, where the food items are stored on the plane, was temporarily converted to a delivery room. The pillows and clothes on the plane were used. The first-aid kit and physician's kit also came in handy during the emergency.
Although the baby did not have any health problems, the doctors said that the mother and baby should be provided medical care within three hours. During that time, the plane was flying over the Black Sea within the Bulgarian airspace.
Pilots Shoma Sur and R Narangam, and first officer Saif Tinwala contacted the Air India's head office and obtained permission to divert the plane to the nearest Frankfurt airport, which was 2 hours away.
The plane landed at the Frankfurt airport around 11pm. The Air Traffic Control Tower had been contacted to ensure urgent medical assistance at the airport. As soon as the plane came to a halt at the remote bay, the woman, the baby and a relative were deboarded and were taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
The flight took off from Frankfurt in the wee hours and landed at Kochi by 9.45am. The scheduled arrival of the flight in Kochi is at 3.45am.
