A Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to São Paulo was forced to divert after a pregnant passenger went into labor and delivered a baby during the trip over the Atlantic Ocean. The incident happened on flight TK15 on Tuesday, according to Senegalese media reports.
The crew declared a medical emergency and chose to make an unscheduled landing at Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. To ensure a safe landing, the pilots had to dump a significant amount of fuel to reduce the Airbus A350’s weight.
The aircraft landed in Dakar at 18:10 Turkey time on Tuesday. Airport emergency services immediately treated the mother, and both she and the newborn were reported to be in good health.
Seven family members who were traveling with her also left the plane and stayed with her in Dakar. After the required procedures were completed and the passengers were offloaded, the flight resumed and continued on to its original destination in São Paulo.