On a United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Accra, Ghana to Washington, DC, a woman went into labor at 30,000 feet with only two hours left on the journey.
Fortunately, the woman was in excellent hands. One of the flight attendants was a registered nurse who was flying as a passenger on United flight UA977 with a Ghanian doctor from the United States.
All of the other flight attendants, of course, have been educated in emergency birthing and have sprung into action.
As the plane traveled high above the Atlantic Ocean en way from Africa, the woman went into labor. With one more passenger on board, the United flight took off from Ghana at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday night and landed at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
“The delivery was uneventful… Other than being at 30,000 feet,” commented a United Airlines spokesperson who confirmed that both mother and baby were doing well.
United’s ground crew was waiting for the flight with balloons and a greeting card to welcome the passengers.
Dr. Aisha Khatib, a Canadian doctor, revealed how she sprung into action late last year on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Entebbe, Uganda, to assist a new mother in giving birth.
Dr. Khatib was originally concerned about having the proper tools on hand to assist her patient, but her concerns were swiftly dispelled when the cabin staff informed her that foreign airlines maintain emergency delivery packs onboard for such occasions.
What, however, is the nationality of a child born on an international flight? That, of course, is dependent on a variety of things. The United States is one of 33 countries that grant unrestricted citizenship to any child born within their boundaries.
