A Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Birmingham was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Porto, Portugal, after the pilot became unwell mid-flight. The Airbus A321, operating as flight LS1266, diverted nearly three hours into the four-hour journey, touching down at Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport at 2:11 am on Friday.
Emergency services boarded the aircraft, which was carrying up to 220 passengers, while it remained on the runway. Medics treated the pilot before transporting him to hospital. Passengers reported being held on the plane for about an hour before being allowed to disembark.
One passenger described being awoken by chaos, with flashing lights and visibly upset cabin crew seeking a doctor. Another said they were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation. Jet2 flew a replacement pilot from Manchester to Porto, allowing passengers to continue their journey.
A Jet2 spokesperson confirmed the diversion was due to one of the pilots feeling unwell, stating that safety was never compromised. The airline apologised for the unforeseen delay. This incident follows a similar diversion earlier this month when a Swiss flight to Zürich diverted to Kazakhstan after its co-pilot experienced a medical emergency.
