Another Baby born in Mid Air- This time in Delhi- Toronto flight
Baby born onboard Delhi-Toronto flight
MUMBAI: "We departed with 268 passengers, but will be landing with 269," radioed Captain Kapil Kohli, commander of AI-187, to the Toronto air traffic controller as the flight from Delhi entered its airspace after a 13-hour long haul.
"Congratulations and welcome to Canada," the ATC messaged back. The chirpy tone, a surprise in the post-9/11 world, was explained because Kohli had reported it was a baby girl safely delivered onboard with the help of two passengers- a paediatrician and an oncologist-and not a hijacker or a stowaway.
A few hours after Air India's Delhi-Toronto flight left the Indian airspace early on Saturday morning, 35-year-old Kulraj Kaur went into labour. The medical emergency was expertly handled by flight attendants under the supervision of the two flying docs and in about eight hours, a normal delivery took place when the aircraft was overflying Kazakhstan at an altitude of 31,000 feet. There was no diversion and the flight landed in Toronto on time.
An ambulance and a doctor attended to the mother and the new-born on the tarmac. "The new passenger was pink and pretty. It was a very emotional moment for the pilots and the cabin crew," an airline source said.
Hours earlier, they had to take a critical decision-whether to divert the flight or not. Most international airlines, including Air India, allow expectant women to fly up to 35 weeks of pregnancy, provided they are in good health. Kaur was in her 32nd week (eighth month) of pregnancy. Once Kaur, who was travelling with her husband, complained that she was feeling uncomfortable, the commander made an announcement and the onboard doctors volunteered to help. "The parents to-be had no medical papers with them as they were packed in their check-in bag. The doctors said the delivery may take 18-20 hours and there was no need to divert the flight as there were no complications," said the source. "The passenger was moved to the space off a galley. Flight attendants helped with hot water, towels and blankets. The first-aid box on board had sterilized equipment to cut the umbilical cord,'' the source added.
Though there are no statistics to support it, a senior flight attendant said that cases of onboard delivery are more common on domestic flights than on international ones. Air India, for instance, has not had any such emergency at least in the last two decades, she added. In April this year, a woman delivered a baby girl on board a Kolkata-Delhi SpiceJet flight. A travelling doctor couple helped with the delivery.
Many airlines do not deny boarding to women in advanced stages of pregnancy, though it is not common to see heavily pregnant women, especially on long-haul international flights. "When an uneventful pregnancy is advanced beyond the 32nd week and with the anticipation of normal delivery, the expectant mother may be accepted for transportation up to and including the 35th week of pregnancy ie. up to at least five weeks before their expected date of confinement," says the relevant norm. "Before accepting an expectant mother up to and including 35th week of pregnancy, a certificate of fitness is required from the obstetrician attending to her. Expectant mothers with a past history suggestive of premature labour, bad obstetric history or twin/ multiple pregnancy should not be accepted after 32nd week."
Baby born onboard Delhi-Toronto flight - The Times of India
