An Air Canada flight from St. Lucia to Toronto had a surprise stopover in Bermuda last week after the arrival of an unexpected passenger.
A baby was born mid-flight March 6 after a woman onboard went into premature labour, the airline said in a statement.
A passenger began “experiencing a medical issue” in the middle of the six-hour flight, Air Canada said.
“Our flight attendants responded to support the customer, including soliciting assistance among passengers for any medical personnel onboard,” an Air Canada representative said. “Two doctors generously volunteered to assist the customer.”
The airline said the baby was delivered by the doctors and both mother and child appeared to be healthy.
“We thank the doctors who assisted, and we are proud of the professionalism of our crew,” the airline representative said.
The flight was diverted to Bermuda, landing in Hamilton at L.F. Wade International Airport. Local medics were waiting on the tarmac to transfer mother and child to hospital.
This is not the first time a baby has been born on an Air Canada flight.
Another such flight occurred in 2015 when a woman who didn’t know she was pregnant gave birth at 36,000 feet. The Air Canada passenger was enroute from Calgary to Tokyo when she went into labour over the Pacific Ocean. A doctor aboard the flight delivered the baby after crew members asked passengers for medical help.
Customers can travel on an Air Canada flight up to 36 weeks pregnant as long as there is no previous history of premature labour, according to the Air Canada website.
Known as skyborns, babies born on airplanes remain a rarity.
Seventy-four infants were born on commercial flights between 1929 and 2018, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Seventy-seven percent of the flights were international and 26 percent of the flights were diverted to accommodate the in-flight emergency births.
The global data revealed the gestational age at delivery ranged from 25 to 38 weeks. Only 10 percent of the babies were born at 37 to 38 weeks. Sixteen percent were born at 34 to 36 weeks, 19 percent were at 31 to 33 weeks, and 12 percent were born prior to 32 weeks.
Physicians, nurses, or flight crew provided medical assistance in only 45 percent of the births.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
