An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was on Wednesday diverted to Mumbai after a passenger went into labour and delivered a baby girl mid-air.
Officials said that the delivery took place as the aircraft was flying over the Arabian Sea. The pilot of flight EY 474 contacted the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) with a request for an emergency landing.
"The woman and child were attended to by airport doctors before being taken to hospital," an airport official said.
The baby girl is stable but may require admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The mother, an Indonesian national, was rushed to the operation theatre at Seven Hills Hospital where doctors performed a surgery for placenta removal. Post surgery, she was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit.
In a statement, Etihad Airways said that its flight EY474 from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was diverted to Mumbai due to a medical emergency on board.
"As a result of the diversion, the flight will be two hours delayed arriving into Jakarta. We regret any inconvenience caused. The safety of our guests and crew is Etihad Airways’ highest priority," an airline spokesperson said.