Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Plane diverted after woman gives birth to baby girl onboard

Commentators said baby should get free travel for life

Monday 29 July 2019 10:33 BST
Comments
A woman gave birth onboard a Middle East Airlines flight
A woman gave birth onboard a Middle East Airlines flight (iStock)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A plane was diverted when a passenger gave birth to a baby girl onboard.

Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines flight ME435 was flying from Doha to Beirut when a passenger gave birth just after entering Iraqi airspace.

The flight was diverted to Kuwait.

According to local media, the Filipino passenger gave birth to her baby daughter in the plane toilet.

The crew were alerted and took care of the woman until the plane landed in Kuwait.

A picture of mother and baby was shared on Facebook group Lebanese Plane Spotters.

Commentators suggested that the Middle Eastern airline should give the baby free travel for life.

Another suggested that the baby should be named “Mea” after the airline she was born on.

In 2017, a baby born on Jet Airways was awarded free flights for life after it was born prematurely mid-flight. The airline has since suspended all operations.

Earlier this year, a woman went into labour on a Philippine Airlines flight to Manila, prompting an emergency landing in Hyderabad, India.

The unnamed passenger started giving birth on the flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the Philippine Airlines pilot made the decision to divert to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport while flying over India.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in