Airline To Give Free Plane Tickets For Life To Baby Born Aboard Its Aircraft

Private Indian airline Jet Airways has gifted free lifetime air tickets to a baby born aboard one of its flights from Saudi Arabia to India.

The crew and a passenger, who was a trained nurse, helped deliver the baby at 35,000 feet (10,688 metres) after a woman went into premature labour.

The mother and the baby were taken to a hospital after the Boeing 737 landed in the western city of Mumbai.

The airline told the BBC that both baby and mother were in good health.

The company thanked its crew and nurse Mini Wilson for “the successful birth of the baby boy”.

“Jet Airways commends its crew for their response and promptness that saw them successfully translate their training into life saving action,” it said in a statement.

The airlines added that it was the first time “a baby was born in-flight for the airline”.

Other airlines have also experienced similar situations. The cabin crew on a Turkish Airlines flight celebrated the arrival of an extra passenger at 42,000ft (12,800 metres) when a woman gave birth to a baby girl in April this year.

Most airlines allow expectant mothers to travel until they are 36 weeks pregnant, but require a signed letter from a doctor from 28 weeks onwards which confirms the expected date of birth.