Woman gives birth on Ryanair flight after Belgian politician comes to her aid

A Ryanair flight gained an unexpected extra passenger mid-air when a baby was born en route to Spain, causing a last-minute diversion to bring the newborn to the ground in France.

The baby joins a very small minority whose birthplace will be listed at 18,000 feet in the air, after the newborn arrived on the budget airline’s flight from Brussels, Belgium, to Castellon, Spain, on Thursday, 8 May.

The flight took off from Brussels at 1.28pm for what is usually a two-hour journey to Castellon. However, not even halfway into the flight, an expectant mother started to give birth, causing the Boeing 737 to descend over France.

As the baby started to arrive, the Ryanair flight made a last-minute decision to divert to Limoges, France.

The woman who suddenly went into labour was assisted by Belgian member of parliament Kathleen Depoorter, who was travelling with her son, Sebastiaan, to celebrate his birthday in Castellon with his grandmother.

“I saw a woman come out of the bathroom and explain to the stewards that she was feeling unwell,” Ms Depoorter told The Olive Press.

“When I heard her say that she has been pregnant for 37 weeks, all of my alarms started going off.”

“I asked the pilot to make an emergency landing, and he complied,” she added.

“The woman was having contractions every seven minutes, which would have been enough time to land.

“But everything went so fast that we had to construct a maternity ward in the back of the plane, and she gave birth there.”

The MP had studied pharmacy, so had some medical knowledge, and her son is a doctor. The pair, along with other medical professionals on board, helped the baby into the world.

A midwife managed the delivery of the placenta, whilst a paediatrician checked the baby’s health.

The team welcomed a baby girl at the back of the Boeing ahead of landing. The mother and her newborn daughter are doing well and are receiving care in a French hospital.

“Helping deliver a baby, 25 years after the last time I gave birth myself, is a very special feeling, especially on an airplane,” Ms Deeporter said.

It isn’t clear what happened after the diversion regarding the onward journey to Castellon. The Independent has contacted Ryanair for comment.

While flying isn't harmful to a pregnant person or their baby, some airlines won’t let you fly towards the end of your pregnancy.

Ryanair, for example, requires a ‘fit to fly’ letter from a doctor or midwife once a pregnancy reaches its 28th week, and does not permit travellers beyond the end of the 36th week, although this passenger managed to get on the plane at 37 weeks.

Babies being born mid-flight is rare, but it is not unheard of. In March last year, a baby boy was born on an Aeromexico flight by a mother who was fleeing gang violence in Haiti.

The couple were heading to an appointment with US immigration officials to discuss their asylum application.

That same month, a doctor returning home to London from a holiday in Jordan helped a woman give birth on a Wizz Air flight.

The Jordanian woman was helped by another person to translate between her and the doctor during labour.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast