A woman yesterday gave birth on EVA Airways Flight BR189 from Tokyo to Taipei, the airline said, adding that both mother and child were fine and were taken to a hospital upon alighting.
The pregnant woman went into labor after taking off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, EVA Airways said.
The boy was successfully delivered with the assistance of four other passengers in the medical industry, it added.
Photo: Taipei Times
The pilot radioed ahead to the control tower at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) asking for emergency landing privileges, which were granted, it said.
The mother and newborn were escorted to a hospital immediately after the plane touched down at the airport at 1:11pm, EVA Airways said.
The airline said that it does not admit women on flights who are pregnant with one child after 36 weeks or expectant mothers who are pregnant with more than one child after 31 weeks.
It also does not allow passengers within seven days post-delivery, it added.
Women who are expecting one child and have been pregnant for 28 to 35 weeks and six days — or four to 12 weeks left to their due date — must obtain a medical information form from an attending physician dated within 10 days before the flight, the company said.
Pregnant women who are expecting more than one child may be allowed until the 28th to 31st week of their pregnancy — or eight to 12 weeks before their due date, it added.
Expectant mothers must also purchase a ticket at least 48 hours prior to the flight, and their forms must be approved by the company’s doctors to be eligible to board, it said.
EVA Airways said it does not offer children born on planes a life-long free-ride deal.
The company did not give further details regarding the woman’s case and how she was allowed to board the flight.
Writer Miss Jhong Gu (中古小姐) on Facebook said her husband, who specializes in anesthetics, was one of the four medical professionals who helped deliver the baby.
None of the four people were gynecologists and when the mother’s water broke, they discussed whether it would be safer to have the pilot conduct an emergency landing at Fukuoka Airport, she wrote.
The writer said that her husband wanted to give a shout-out to the cabin crew, who were “well-trained” and promptly provided the necessary items.
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