Hyderabad: A pre-term baby was delivered by a Filipino woman on August 14 on an international flight of Cebu Pacific, which was diverted to Hyderabad for the medical emergency.
The Dubai to Manila flight had to make an emergency landing at Hyderabad as the seven-and-a-half-month pregnant woman developed labour pains.
“The child was born on the flight. The emergency team of doctors at Hyderabad airport were called in as the mother and newborn required immediate attention.”
After initial first-aid at the airport, mother and child were shifted to Apollo Cradle where the newborn child is currently in the incubator due to the pre-term birth.
A source in the hospital said, “The child is stable but will require care for the next two months. The mother has been discharged and has been counseled about the various steps to take care of the new-born baby. For now, the lady is here as she is waiting for her family to come down and assist her to take the child back.”
According to an agency report, Cebu Pacific Air said that it was the first time a baby was delivered onboard one of its aircraft, calling the birth a “momentous occasion”. “We’re blessed to have been an instrument in (the) safe delivery,” lead cabin crew member Mark Martin, reportedly commented over the event.
The airline said it was giving the baby a million points in its lifestyle rewards program, equivalent to about 10,000 one-way flights in the Philippines. "We are happy that both mother and daughter are doing well," said Cebu Pacific Air president and CEO Lance Gokongwei.
