In news that is likely to make almost everyone smile, a baby girl was born aboard an IndiGo flight on Wednesday morning. She was delivered mid-air with the aid of a doctor on the passenger list as well as the cabin crew.
"Both the baby and mother are stable," assured a statement from the airline. Flight 6E 469 had departed from Bengaluru airport at around 5:45 am, and with a new passenger joining the flight halfway through, landed in Jaipur at around 8:00 am. As per the statement released by the airline, Jaipur airport had been alerted and arranged for a doctor and an ambulance on arrival.
Now this is not the first time that women have gone into labour or given birth in mid-air. It is also not the first time that IndiGo crew members have been called upon to help deliver a baby. In October 2020 for example, baby Bakshi was welcomed into the world at 30,000 feet aboard the cabin of a Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight. At the time, the company had shared pictures on LinkedIn.
But even as congratulations poured in, many on Twitter had follow-up questions. "What will be her place of birth now?" one user wanted to know.
"Can indigo announce free life time flight for baby girl?" another asked.
Others however were far more concerned with the flight rules for expectant mothers. "I just want to know why a woman whose gonna deliver her baby anytime soon is traveling in a plane," tweeted one user.
"Congratulations. This is rare incident. But a question remains, how come a flight allowed a pregnant lady to fly at this stage of her pregnancy? Normally there would be conditions that after 6/7 months it is not safe to fly and never allowed," contended a second.
Incidentally IndiGo's website states that expectant mothers may be permitted to fly on IndiGo flights till the end of 36 weeks of pregnancy. A recent and updated fit-to-fly certificate from a obstetrician is also required for the final few weeks. The permissible window of time is shortened for those carrying multiple children or facing prior complications.
