Indonesian woman gives birth mid-air, flight diverted to Mumbai

An Indonesian woman delivered a baby girl on-board an Etihad Airways flight, following which a Jakarta-bound flight from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Mumbai, sources said.

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi-Jakarta flight diverted to Mumbai as a woman passenger gives birth onboard the flight. pic.twitter.com/zosDBe60Z2

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2018

“An Etihad flight EY 474 flying on Abu Dhabi-Jakarta route was diverted to Mumbai Airport on October 24 due to an expectant female passenger of Indonesian origin going into labour on board,” the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson said in a statement.

According to reports, the woman went into labour when the aircraft was around 40 minutes away from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Wednesday morning.

Also Read | Alok Verma vs Rakesh Asthana: Know all about the CBI feud in 10 points

Soon after the aircraft landed at Mumbai airport, medical team, who were on stand-by, attended the woman passenger. Later, she was shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri east for further medical check-up, according to official report.

The woman is now recuperating with her new-born baby, it said.

“The MIAL doctors provided necessary medical assistance...the passenger was shifted to Seven Hills (hospital) for further medical intervention,” airport official said.

Read More | 'Suspicious packages' sent to White House, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama; probe underway

The Airbus A330 aircraft, which was delayed by at least two hours against its scheduled arrival of 3:05 pm at Jakarta, was departed from Mumbai airport at 9:42 am, according to airline.

Etihad Airways, in its statement, said that the flight was diverted to Mumbai due to a “medical emergency” and as a result, it will be “two hours delayed arriving into Jakarta”.

(With inputs from agencies)