A woman unexpectedly gave birth on a Pegasus Airlines flight from Turkey to France just moments before takeoff. The incident occurred as the plane was preparing to depart for Marseille, France. Shocked passengers witnessed the dramatic event and saw a newborn baby being carried off the aircraft. The pregnant passenger, whose identity remains unknown, went into labor while the crew was getting ready for takeoff. The crew responded swiftly and calmly, calling emergency services and paramedics at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport for assistance. The woman was escorted to a different area of the plane where paramedics helped her deliver the baby. A female paramedic emerged moments later, carrying the prematurely born baby wrapped in blue cloth to the front of the plane. The baby, who did not cry, was immediately taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance for further care.
Although childbirth on airplanes is rare due to restrictions on flying during the third trimester, it is not unheard of. Last year, a woman named Tamara gave birth on a KLM Royal Dutch flight from Guyaquil, Ecuador to Amsterdam after going to the bathroom with a stomach ache. She surprised everyone on the plane by unexpectedly giving birth. According to a study published in the journal “Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine,” the odds of a woman giving birth on a commercial flight are approximately 1 in 32,000.
Dr. Paulo Alves, the global medical director of the brand, explained that giving birth on a plane is not ideal for several reasons. The thin air makes it harder for the baby to breathe, similar to giving birth to a premature child in a high-altitude city like Mexico City.
