Air Arabia flight lands at Goa airport as passenger takes ill

Panaji, Aug 5: An Air Arabia flight flying from Sharjah to Colombo made an emergency landing at the Dabolim airport on Wednesday as a kidney patient on board took ill.

The flight with 177 passengers on board had to disembark the passenger with kidney problem who required immediate medical help, said the Indian Navy in a release.

The airport is managed by the Navy, whose base INS Hansa is located at Dabolim.

"At about 0327 today, Goa Naval Air Traffic Controller at INS Hansa was informed by an en-route Indigo Airlines flight about Air Arabia aircraft belonging to the United Arab Emirates...having a medical emergency," the Navy said.

The aircraft contacted the ATC, which promptly cleared the emergency landing.

The patient was taken to Cottage Hospital and from there to the Goa Medical College. The aircraft left for Colombo at 5.36 pm.

PTI