An Arik Air flight with over 100 passengers en route to
London on Sunday was forced to make an emergency landing in Palmas, Spain, as a
woman went into labour and gave birth while the aircraft was airborne.
The pilot was said to have requested the emergency landing
on the advice of two doctors who were on board the aircraft and had helped the
mother deliver the baby.
When the passenger went into labour, the cabin crew asked
that doctors on board the flight to identify themselves. Following the
announcement, two of the passengers came forward, saying they were doctors and
assisted in the delivery of the baby.
Normally, a source disclosed that in the few instances where
women have given birth on board, the aircraft would continue its flight to its
final destination. However, the Arik flight was forced to make an emergency
landing following the advice of the doctors that the woman was bleeding
excessively - she was said to have experienced excessive hemorrhaging,
necessitating the emergency landing.
At the time of this report, both mother and child were said
to have been stable but were left behind in Palmas for monitoring by medical
personnel, while the flight continued on its journey to London.
The airline was trying to ascertain if the woman had
presented a false medical report from her doctor on the true duration of her
pregnancy or she had gone into premature labour while on board the flight.
Women with full term pregnancies are not allowed to travel
by air, according to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
regulations. As such, intending pregnant passengers are required to present
medical reports certifying that they are less than 32 weeks pregnant before
they are allowed to fly.
A source said the airline was carrying out a full-scale
investigation to ascertain the genuineness of the medical report presented by
the woman.
Arik Air’s management said yesterday that if it is
discovered that the woman was given a false report to enable her fly, it would
file a special complaint against the doctor who had issued the medical report
to the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) for endangering her life and that of
the baby, as well that of other passengers on board the flight.
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