Hearing the news that your flight will have to make an emergency landing because a co-pilot fell unconscious sounds like a plot from a horror movie, but this is exactly what happened during a British Airways flight from London to Athens.
The pilot aboard an A320 Airbus travelling from London to Athens was forced to make an emergency landing during the mid-way point of the three-hour flight after his co-pilot complained about feeling unwell, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
The main pilot initially planned on turning the flight around and returning to London as the plane passed over Zagreb in Croatia. However, this plan was cut short after the co-pilot’s condition quickly deteriorated and eventually passed out, forcing the captain of the flight to perform an emergency landing at an airport in Zurich, Switzerland, where the co-pilot received medical attention.
Thankfully, the flight was able to land safely without any incident before leaving for its original destination. The passengers aboard the flight did, however, have to wait around six hours before taking off again, reaching their final destination in Athens nine hours after first taking off from Heathrow airport.
INCIDENT: British Airways #BA640 London Heathrow to Athens (Airbus A320neo G-TTNM) turned back over Croatia yesterday when the first officer fell ill. The flight later diverted to Zurich when he became unconscious. A relief crew were flown to ZRH.https://t.co/MBZJSRioKi pic.twitter.com/nWdEvZhSMQ
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) December 27, 2020
British Airways have yet to announce what caused the pilot to pass out. A spokesperson for BA confirmed that there was no risk to passengers on the flight, according to the Daily Mail.
The spokesperson added, ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and our teams looked after customers before they carried on their journey to Athens yesterday [December 26] evening.’
Picture: Pixabay
