ITA Airways marks first in-flight birth.
A baby was born prematurely aboard an ITA Airways flight from Dakar to Rome Fiumicino in the early hours of Friday, marking the first in-flight birth in the Italian carrier’s history.
The woman, who was seven months pregnant, went into labour about one hour after flight AZ855 took off from Senegal’s capital city.
The mother and newborn received immediate assistance from the cabin crew and from two fellow passengers – a doctor and a nurse – who happened to be on board.
Both mother and baby boy were reported to be in good health following the birth
ITA Airways announced the “happy and unexpected” event on Facebook.
The airline wrote that the boy was “in perfect health” and was “the first child born on board an aircraft in the history of ITA Airways,” wishing him “a splendid life full of joy.”
In-flight births on commercial aircraft are uncommon but not without precedent; earlier this week, a passenger gave birth on a Delta Air Lines flight as it approached Portland, Oregon, assisted by off-duty paramedics.
In 2023, a woman travelling aboard a plane from Dubai to Milan gave birth to a baby boy while flying over Iran, assisted by a surgeon on board the flight.
The newborn and mother were met by medical staff on the runway of Milan’s Malpensa airport and were transferred, in good health, to a hospital in nearby Varese.
Photo ITA Airways
