‘Nature had other plans’: Airline crew delivers passenger’s baby mid-flight
The cabin crew of an Air India Express flight traveling from Muscat, Oman, to Mumbai, India, on July 24 helped a woman who unexpectedly gave birth to her baby mid-flight.
Key Takeaways:
- A woman gave birth to a baby boy in the middle of a flight from Oman to Mumbai.
- Though no doctors were on board, the cabin crew and a nurse were able to help the woman safely deliver her baby.
- Both the mother and the baby are recovering in the hospital and are reportedly doing well.
The Details:
According to Indian news outlets, a 29-year-old Thai woman was traveling with her toddler when she went into labor. After she alerted the crew members, they quickly rearranged the seating to prepare a makeshift delivery area; passengers were also asked to put their phones away to allow the mother some privacy.
As there were no doctors aboard the flight, the cabin crew and a nurse assisted her in delivering her baby boy at 35,000 feet, around 3:15 a.m.
“A Thai national woman gave birth mid-air aboard an Air India Express flight from Muscat to Mumbai. The delivery of the baby was assisted by the airline’s cabin crew, with support from a nurse among the guests on board,” read an announcement from the airline.
The airline requested an emergency landing, and after the plane touched down in Mumbai at 4:02 a.m. local time, a medical team and an ambulance transported mom and baby to a local hospital, where they are receiving care.
An airline spokesman said that the woman did not plan to stay in Mumbai, as she was there to catch a connecting flight.
“She did not have a visa for India and was scheduled to board a connecting flight to Bangkok the same night,” an airline source said. “But nature had other plans.”
An Air India Express spokesperson praised the work of the crew in assisting the woman and baby.
“They drew on their rigorous training and showed remarkable empathy and professionalism throughout the ordeal,” the spokesperson told the Hindustan Times. “The entire operation — from air to ground — was handled seamlessly.”
According to the news outlet, both the mother and her baby boy are doing well.
Go Deeper:
Births mid-flight are unusual, but they aren’t completely unheard of. Live Action News has covered other amazing stories, all of which resulted in safe, successful births. Find some of those stories here:
- Mom praises the ‘good team’ who helped her give birth on overnight flight
- Pilot helps deliver baby in the middle of international flight: ‘I feel so proud’
- Heroic doctors save premature baby born mid-flight
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]