Jet2 flight makes emergency landing after pilot suffers suspected heart attack at 30,000 feet
Passengers on a Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Birmingham ended up landing in Portugal after a reported emergency on board.
It’s been reported that the pilot on Flight LS1266 suddenly became unwell with a suspected heart attack.
Those on board have claimed they noticed worrying signs that something was wrong, as cabin crew were running down the aisle of the plane, said to be in tears, with some asking if anyone was medically trained.
The Jet2 flight filled with predominantly Brits to Birmingham reportedly experienced a sudden drop in altitude as the plane made its way to an unscheduled landing in Porto on Friday (22 May).
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With up to 220 passengers on board, the aircraft’s first officer was handling the controls as they were brought to the ground in the Portuguese city.
A passenger told The Sun that they had been asleep with their partner when they were ‘awoken by chaos’ on the plane.
“Lights began flashing and hostesses who were visibly upset, seeking a doctor,” they said.
“Our two-year-old began crying like many other children onboard because the aircraft was dropping so quickly for an emergency landing.”
The outlet obtained footage showing emergency services racing to the runway at the airport in Porto as the twin-jet Airbus A321 made its emergency landing.
Medical staff reportedly ran on to the plane and attended to the pilot in the cockpit before he was rushed to hospital.
Passengers then spent a reported 13 hours in Porto’s Francisco Sa Carneiro airport until they could return to the UK with a new cockpit crew on another flight.
“We were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation. They wouldn’t let us off the plane itself for over an hour,” one said. “Then we were just left to wander around. There was nowhere to stay. They said accommodation was too expensive.”
However, they did add that they have ‘full sympathy for him of course’, having reportedly been told that the pilot ‘suffered a heart attack in the cockpit’.
Passengers were told by the airline that they could have a free change onto a Jet2 flight to any of its UK destinations in the next week.
A Jet2 spokesperson said told us: “Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham diverted to Porto on Thursday (21st May), due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.
“At no point was safety compromised, and customers subsequently continued their journey.
“We would like to apologise to customers for this unforeseen delay.”
Jess Battison