A British doctor onboard a Wizz Air flight helped a pregnant woman deliver her baby when her water broke mid-flight.
The aircraft, headed to London for Jordan, was forced to land at Brindisi Airport in southern Italy.
Hassan Khan, 28, said he was flying home from a holiday in Amman on Saturday morning when the Wizz Air crew called out for a doctor.
Dr Khan, who works at Basildon Hospital, explained that the expecting mother was lying on the floor outside the cockpit after her water broke.
The 38-year-old Jordanian woman didn’t speak any English so another passenger had to translate, according to the doctor.
“I told the flight attendants what equipment I needed, which would include an oxygen mask, a clamp for the umbilical chord and a stethoscope – none of which they had on a plane, of course,” Dr Khan told BBC News.
“I was actually late to my shift because of this diversion, but thankfully they were very impressed and wanted the full update.
“My consultant congratulated me and said it was a really good job. People were saying it was miraculous. I only realised how significant it was after I had the chance to process it all.”
Dr Khan, who has been a doctor for four years, revealed he had only used towels during the delivery of the healthy baby girl.
But his experience in neonatal resuscitation was also required in the moment, as the girl came out “a little bit blue”.
The woman’s family later gave an update, confirming the mum and her newborn were in a good condition. The baby girl was named Sama.
A Wizz Air spokesperson told The Daily Mirror: “A baby born in the sky is always a heart-warming event … We are delighted that both mum and baby are doing well and wish them all the best.”
