Woman gives birth mid-flight on Qatar Airways plane

Mother and baby are doing well

A woman has given birth to a baby boy during a flight, forcing the plane to divert.

The Thai woman went into labour during the journey, and gave birth to her newborn son at around 3am with the help of five cabin crew members and an onboard doctor.

The Qatar Airways aircraft, which was en route from its hub city of Doha to Thai capital Bangkok, then diverted to Kolkata, India.

The plane landed at around 3.15am, reports India Today.

The woman and her baby were admitted to a local hospital, and are believed to be doing well.

A Qatar Airways spokesperson told The Independent: “Qatar Airways flight QR 830 travelling from Doha to Bangkok on 3 February was diverted to Kolkata due to a medical emergency – a birth – which was supported by a doctor onboard and five trained cabin crew members.

“The passenger and her healthy baby boy were immediately taken care of by authorities upon arrival in Kolkata.

“The aircraft then resumed its onward flight to Bangkok. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the diversion. All passengers were assisted upon arrival into Bangkok to ensure smooth onward connections to their final destination.”

It’s not the first time a baby has been born onboard a plane.

In July 2019, a passenger gave birth to a baby daughter in the plane toilet of a Middle East Airlines flight that was flying from Doha to Beirut. The plane was diverted to Beirut.

In February 2019, a baby was born on a jetBlue flight from Puerto Rico to Florida. The US airline said it wanted to rename the aircraft after the baby.