A flight traveling from a popular tourist destination to the UK had to make an unexpected stop in Portugal after the pilot experienced a suspected heart attack while the plane was airborne.
Jet2 Flight LS1266 departing from Tenerife en route to Birmingham at an altitude of 30,000 feet faced the incident during the early hours of Friday, May 22. With 220 passengers on board, the aircraft was directed to land at Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport near Porto, Portugal.
Passengers recounted how cabin crew urgently sought medical assistance from any individuals with medical training as the plane rapidly descended. They described a chaotic scene with flickering lights and distressed children as the aircraft swiftly descended.
According to a passenger interviewed by The Sun, the sudden commotion woke them up from sleep, with crew members visibly distressed, urgently requesting medical assistance. The abrupt descent caused panic among passengers, especially children.
The plane safely landed in Porto at 2:11 am local time, where emergency services promptly attended to the pilot before transporting him to the hospital. Passengers remained on board for more than an hour before disembarking and spending approximately 13 hours in the terminal while awaiting replacement crew arrangements by the airline.
A pilot was flown in from Manchester to pilot a different aircraft to transport the passengers from Porto to Birmingham following the unforeseen circumstances.
One passenger shared their frustration, stating they were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation due to the expensive options available. Jet2 clarified that the diversion was necessitated by the illness of one of the pilots without compromising the safety of passengers.
Jet2 informed The Sun that Flight LS1266 was diverted to Porto on May 21 due to a pilot falling ill, reassuring that passenger safety was maintained, and apologized for the unforeseen delay in travel arrangements.