Madrid, May 14, - Ryanair Flight FR4797, on Thursday, May 8, 2025, a Boeing 737-800 registered as EI-EFO, embarked on what was expected to be a routine journey from Brussels South Charleroi Airport in Belgium to Castellón–Costa Azahar Airport in Spain. Departing at approximately 1:40 p.m. local time, the flight was anticipated to take less than two hours, primarily traversing French airspace. However, about an hour into the journey, an extraordinary event unfolded at 18,000 feet, prompting a swift diversion to Limoges, France, and transforming the flight into a remarkable tale of human resilience and quick thinking.
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A passenger, a woman at 37 weeks of pregnancy, unexpectedly went into labor mid-flight. Despite Ryanair’s strict policies requiring a doctor’s or midwife’s letter for travel beyond 28 weeks and prohibiting travel after 36 weeks, this passenger had boarded the flight. The onset of labor was rapid, with contractions escalating quickly, leaving no time to reach the original destination. The cabin crew, trained for medical emergencies, responded immediately, alerting the captain to the situation. Recognizing the urgency, the captain decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport, Limoges–Bellegarde Airport, where emergency services could be readily available.
Among the passengers was Kathleen Depoorter, a Belgian Member of Parliament with a background in pharmacy, traveling with her son Sebastiaan, a doctor. Upon noticing the woman’s distress as she emerged from the bathroom, Depoorter’s instincts kicked in. She learned of the woman’s advanced pregnancy and urged the pilot to make an emergency landing. As the situation intensified, with contractions occurring every seven minutes, Depoorter and other medically trained passengers, including a midwife and a pediatrician, transformed the rear of the aircraft into an impromptu maternity ward. With the assistance of the cabin crew, they facilitated the delivery of a healthy baby girl before the plane touched down in Limoges.
Upon landing, emergency personnel, including firefighters, an intensive care unit with an incubator, an emergency doctor, a midwife, and an anesthesiologist, were waiting on the tarmac. The mother and newborn were promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where both were reported to be in excellent health. The Boeing 737 remained grounded for approximately 90 minutes before resuming its journey, arriving in Castellón less than two hours behind schedule. The diversion caused delays for three subsequent flights scheduled on the same aircraft that day. Births on commercial flights are exceedingly rare, with only 74 recorded between 1929 and 2018, according to a 2019 study by the International Society of Travel Medicine. Ryanair’s policies aim to minimize such occurrences, yet this incident underscores the unpredictability of childbirth. While myths persist about newborns receiving free flights for life, only a few airlines, such as Thai Airways and Cebu Pacific Air, have historically offered such perks. For the passengers and crew of Flight FR4797, the safe delivery of a new life at 18,000 feet will remain an unforgettable chapter in their travel story.