Mumbai: Flight's emergency landing could not save 7-mnth-old

Mumbai, July 22: A Chennai-bound IndiGo flight with 150 passengers onboard returned to city airport in Mumbai today after it was airborne for over an hour as there was a medical emergency on board involving a seven-month-old infant.

The infant, suffering from cardiac disease, was later declared dead by the doctor who examined him at the parking bay after the aircraft made an emergency landing.

The infant had three holes in his heart and was being taken to Chennai for a surgery, an IndiGo airline statement said.

"IndiGo flight 6E-431 to Chennai departed on time from Mumbai and was air-borne by 10:31 am. However, the flight had to return to Mumbai due to a medical emergency on board involving a 7-month-old infant," the statement said.

While airborne, the cabin crew paged for any doctor on board but only a medical practitioner was available, the airline said, adding that the crew performed CPR on the infant and AED (automated external defibrillator) was also used to revive the pulse.

On arrival, the infant was immediately attended upon by a doctor, who declared him dead, IndiGo said.

"We understand the sensitivity of such situations; hence our crew on-board ensured that the infant received all possible medical attention on board and from our on-ground staff," it added.

PTI