Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Woman Gives Birth Mid-Flight

One new mother recently gave birth in a highly unconventional setting—surrounded by a flight crew and a cabin full of strangers. After going into labor mid-flight, passenger Kultumah Mohammed reportedly delivered her baby with the help of a generous medical student.

According to Egypt Today, the EgyptAir flight was traveling from N'Djamena, the capital city of Chad, to Cairo when the pregnant Mohammed started experiencing pain.

The pilot was notified when the 27-year-old went into labor and the flight was quickly diverted. The hope was that the aircraft would land soon enough for Mohammed to receive proper medical attention during her delivery.

It was too late, however; Mohammed reportedly gave birth while the plane was flying over Sudan. In a lucky coincidence, a medical student aboard the plane—Laila Mohamed Abou Bakr, a student at the Faculty of Medicine at Kasr el-Ainy University in Cairo—was able to assist with the delivery, along with members of the cabin crew.

The plane landed safely in Aswan, Egypt, after the baby's birth. Once Mohammed was taken to Aswan University Hospital to receive postpartum care, the flight continued onto its final destination, Cairo.

Mohammed reportedly named her baby boy Abdel Rahman, and despite the ordeal, both mother and son are said to be in good health.

As reported by Gulf News, EgyptAir noted in a statement that "all procedures for the safety of the passenger were followed and dealt with quickly, as the flight attendants cooperated with a medical student to assist the passenger in the mid-flight delivery."

Mohammed's is not the only delivery to make headlines this week. Only a few days ago, it was reported that a Massachusetts woman delivered her baby into a toilet after not realizing she had been pregnant for the previous nine months.

And, as wild as it may seem, Mohammed is not the only reported case of someone giving birth mid-flight. In October, a baby was born prematurely while en route to Bangalore from Delhi. Passengers on the flight flooded social media with posts documenting the scene, which involved crew members setting up a makeshift hospital in the cabin.

In instances of mid-flight deliveries, it's not uncommon for airlines to give the newborn lifetime perks, such as free flights for life. However, it remains to be seen if EgyptAir will offer such a gift to Mohammed and her son.