Woman delivers baby girl mid-air on flight

An Ethiopian Airlines flight enroute to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia experienced a different kind of turbulence in the wee hours of Saturday, as one of the lady passengers, unexpectedly went in to labour, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at Mumbai International Airport.

The thirty four year old passenger identified as Chinyere Okoli, a Nigerian National and her newborn baby girl were rushed to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Andheri, where their condition is said to be stable.

Represrntational Pic

An airline source on-board, requesting anonymity, said, "The baby girl was delivered around 4 am, when the flight was mid air. Mumbai, being the closest and most convenient airport, the pilot immediately alerted the authorities about the onboard medical emergency. In a quick response, the airport authorities already had a medical team waiting, when the flight landed."

The source added that in an hour that was taken from the time of childbirth and landing in Mumbai, the airline crew and few onboard passengers doubled up as mid wives, to ensure the safety of both the mother and her child.

After a brief halt in Mumbai, the flight continued its journey to its original destination to Addis Ababa.