Kerala woman delivers mid-air, Jet Airways grants baby free air travel for life

Jet Airways flight 9W 569 took off from Dammam at 2:55 am on Sunday morning to Kochi. Minutes into the flight, an expectant mother went into labour and the crew declared a medical emergency. The lady gave birth with the help of crew members and a nurse - Mini Wilson - travelling to Kochi.

A woman from Kerala gave birth to a baby mid-air while flying on a Jet Airways plane on Sunday. The plane, with 162 passengers onboard, was flying from Saudi Arabia to India.

As the day unfolded, the Jet Airways flight 9W 569 took off from Dammam at 2:55 am on Sunday morning to Kochi. Just minutes into the flight, the expectant mother went into labour and the crew declared a medical emergency. The flight was then diverted to Mumbai.

However, before the flight could land and was hovering over the Arabian Sea at a height of 35,000 feet, the lady gave birth with the help of crew members and a nurse - Mini Wilson - who travelling to Kochi.

The plane landed in Mumbai, and the mother and the child were rushed to a hospital. Both are said to be in a stable condition. The plane then resumed its journey to Kochi and reached the destination 90 minutes late.

Being the first baby to be born in flight on Jet Airways, the airlines has announced that the child would get a free lifetime pass with the carrier to any destination. 

Photos: Harikrishna B