Baby born aboard jetliner

AN INDIAN woman gave birth to a baby boy on an international commercial flight as it flew at close to 11 000m, the airline said yesterday.

The unnamed woman, in her 20s, went into premature labour on Sunday’s Jet Airways flight between Damman, Saudi Arabia, and Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

“The guest delivered a baby boy at 35 000ft,” Jet Airways said.

A paramedic on board and airline staff helped with the delivery.

The Boeing 737 flight, with 162 passengers on board, was diverted to Mumbai, where the woman and her newborn were rushed to a hospital near the airport. At Mumbai’s Holy Spirit Hospital, an official said yesterday that mother and baby boy were doing well.

The woman was believed to have been about 32 weeks pregnant when she gave birth.

Jet Airways said it was the first time a baby had been born on one of its flights.

The airline has given him free travel for life.

In August last year, a woman gave birth on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to the Philippines.

The plane made an emergency landing in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad so that the mother and newborn could receive medical attention. At Mumbai’s Holy Spirit Hospital, an official said yesterday that mother and baby boy were doing well.

The woman was believed to have been about 32 weeks pregnant when she gave birth.

Jet Airways said it was the first time a baby had been born on one of its flights.

The airline has given him free travel for life.

In August last year, a woman gave birth on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to the Philippines.

The plane made an emergency landing in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad so that the mother and newborn could receive medical attention.