A LOT Polish Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency diversion after a crew member reportedly collapsed mid-flight. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was travelling from Spain to Poland in the early hours of Tuesday when it diverted to Milan, Italy, approximately 50 minutes after take-off.
Details of the incident
The aircraft departed Palma de Mallorca at around 2:40am local time and was heading to Warsaw, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. It later changed course and landed safely at Milan Malpensa Airport.
A spokesperson for LOT Polish Airlines said the diversion was caused by a medical emergency involving a crew member, prompting the captain to request assistance from the Italian airport.
Krzysztof Moczulski, a spokesman for the airline, said: "The plane was diverted to Milan for medical reasons. Due to the collapse of one of the crew members, the captain requested medical assistance. After landing, assistance was immediately provided."
Unconfirmed reports and passenger delays
Polish broadcaster TVN24 reported receiving information suggesting one of the pilots had fainted during the flight, but the airline did not confirm this when approached by the outlet.
Passengers were left stranded in Milan for several hours while LOT Polish Airlines arranged for another crew to continue the journey to the Polish capital. Mr Moczulski said: "A crew has been sent to Milan to fly back. The scheduled departure time for Warsaw is 11am local time."
The delayed flight later departed Milan and the passengers have since arrived safely in Warsaw. LOT Polish Airlines has not released any further details about the condition of the crew member or the nature of the medical emergency.
Similar incident with British Airways
This incident follows a British Airways investigation after all three pilots on a flight from India to London Heathrow were struck down with suspected food poisoning following a stopover in Hyderabad. During the 10-and-a-half-hour journey, a first officer reportedly became "incapacitated" while the Boeing 777 was cruising at around 30,000ft and had to be given oxygen. Despite also suffering symptoms, the aircraft's two other pilots were able to continue operating the plane safely until it landed at Heathrow. British Airways said flight safety was never compromised and launched an internal investigation.
