Woman gives birth to baby on Finnair flight

A woman gave birth to a baby mid-air on a flight of national flag carrier Finnair from Helsinki to Paris on Friday, local media reported.

The birth took place on Finnair flight AY1571 (Airbus A320 OH-LXF) about one hour before landing at the Charles-de-Gaulle airport in the morning.

A medical team was ready at the airport to assist the mother and the newly born baby.

The incident, however, did not hamper the flight schedule and the aircraft landed in Paris on due time.

A leading Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, quoting co-passengers on the flight reported that the birth took place smoothly as the Finnair staff handled the situation well.

A firefighter named Olli Paavola, who was also on the flight, assisted in the birth along with a flight attendant, reported Belgium based news outlet Aviation24.be.

According to Paavola, who has experience as an ambulance driver, the delivery was swift and occurred in the plane’s toilet, said the Aviation24.be report, adding that the baby boy and mother were reported to be in good health upon landing.

The airline’s policy allows pregnant women to fly up to the 36th week of pregnancy for flights over two hours.