Flight delayed for heart

PASSENGERS aboard the delayed flight SAA 575 from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo to King Shaka International yesterday afternoon were told to sit tight because a very special delivery was under way.

It turned out they were all waiting for a heart that was being sent from a private hospital in Sandton by ambulance for a transplant operation in Durban.

The captain (Francois van der Merwe) said they had to announce the cause of the 35-minute delay.

“The ambulance had been stuck in traffic. If they were to wait for the next flight, that would only depart at 7pm, which would have been terrible for the organ. We explained to the passengers,” said the captain. He said the passengers were understanding. “They understood and wanted to save a life,” he added.

Durban’s Bobby Peek, one of the passengers, said the delay was for a good reason.

“My uncle also had a heart transplant about eight years ago. The circumstances were similar, just that they used a private flight. This time around, a public airline was used,” he said.

The captain said the journey from Johannesburg to Durban took his co-pilot, Lerato Nyamande, just 44 minutes because of perfect weather.

Attempts to find out which hospital in Durban the organ was bound for were unsuccessful last night.