GANDER, N.L. — The passenger load on a Qatar Airways flight grew by one when a woman went into labour and delivered her baby before the aircraft touched down.
The Boeing 777 was heading to the capital of Qatar from Miami when it was diverted to Gander International Airport in central Newfoundland to make an emergency landing Monday.
Brian Hicks, the airport's safety manager, says the airport was notified at about 4:30 a.m. that the plane, carrying 337 passengers, needed to land.
He says the baby was born about 30 minutes later before the plane touched down, with two doctors on board helping with the delivery.
Hicks says paramedics met the aircraft and took the mother and baby to the hospital nearby, where they were said to be doing well.
He says it's not unusual for planes to make emergency landings for medical reasons, but that he hasn't seen too many babies born before final approach.
