I doubt that April is any worse a month for medical emergencies, but just to give you a snapshot at how common it is—at least this past week—
- April 5 American Airlines New York to Buenos Aires Diverted to Caracas Venezuela with a sick man-
- April 6 (April 5-6) Cathay Pacific Chicago-Hong Kong An undisclosed medical emergency occurred; flight diverted to Anchorage for the medical emergency. (The flight had a second diversion, probably for a crew change before arriving at their destination.)
- April 7 Air New Zealand London to LAX A diabetic ten year old boy received assistance from crew as pilots diverted to Minneapolis. The boy was hospitalized in Minneapolis.
- April 8 Egyptair Cairo to Nigeria Infant became ill; crew returned to Cairo and made a safe landing. The infant was hospitalized.
- April 9 Delta Japan- Honolulu passenger suffered an attack 2 hours outside of Honolulu; cabin crew and nurse/passenger attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation but pronounced DOA.
- April 10 LAN Airlines Santiago to Arica male passenger suffered a stroke. A doctor provided first aid; Flight diverted to Copiapo where the passenger was hospitalized.
In George’s Point of View
These medical incidents really don’t differ from how many we usually see–maybe its just spring fever, but I’m just sayin’…make sure you’re a-ok before you set foot on board!
ExpressJet flight 5166, operating as Delta Connection, made an emergency landing at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, New York, on February 19.
American Airlines flight AA-569 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Denver, Colorado, on October 30th.
American Airlines flight AA-1051 had to return and make an emergency landing in Newark, New Jersey, on June 19th.
Spring Airlines flight 9C-8617 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Shenyang, China, on February 18th.