A Ryanair flight travelling back to the UK from the Canary Islands made an unexpected stop in France after a passenger was thought to be having a heart attack.
The Boeing 737-800 was travelling from Gran Canaria to Bournemouth on Monday (10 March) when it started to suddenly descend around 200 miles away from its intended destination, landing in the French port city of Brest.
Around halfway into the flight, cabin crew asked if anyone on board was medically trained, to which a retired cardiologist came forward and treated a woman.
One passenger who was returning from his holiday, Chris Howard, told BBC News that he first noticed crew members crowding around a passenger at the front of the plane.
“Suddenly the bongs came up over the PA system and they said ‘if there is a medically trained passenger on board, can you make yourself known immediately, please’,” he said.
“One of the passengers put their light on and they went and spoke to him.
“The doctor ended up speaking to the pilot and we began a very rapid descent.
“Turned out the guy was a retired cardiologist and the lady was having a heart attack.”
After landing in Brest, the woman was further treated by emergency services before being transported to the hospital.
The Ryanair flight continued on its journey about an hour later.
“Approximately an hour later we were taking off and were on our way home, which was amazing really,” Mr Howard added.
“We all felt like they’ve done a smashing job.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Gran Canaria to Bournemouth diverted to Brest after a passenger became ill onboard.
“The crew called ahead for medical assistance to meet the aircraft upon landing at Brest Airport.
“The passenger was disembarked and transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment. This flight continued to Bournemouth that same day.”
The incident comes days after another Ryanair plane travelling from Malaga to Manchester had to make a diversion to Bilbao due to a medical emergency.
Passengers ended up spending the night in the Spanish city as air traffic controllers packed up and went home before the plane could take off again.
After the passenger was taken off the plane, the aircraft was refuelled and prepared to continue to Manchester, however, due to the flight plan “exceeding operational hours”, the plane could not depart from the airport.
Passengers had to board a flight the following day to complete the journey
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