KLM Flight Witnessed Mid-Air Birth En Route to Amsterdam

KLM Flight 588, traveling from Lagos, Nigeria, to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, experienced an extraordinary event on June 19, 2023. A passenger unexpectedly went into labor mid-air, resulting in the birth of a baby in one of the aircraft’s galleys with the assistance of the cabin crew.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft (registration PH-BQI) was flying over the Mediterranean Sea when the miraculous delivery occurred. In response, the pilots promptly diverted the flight to Barcelona, where it safely landed. Following the successful delivery, the flight continued its journey to AMS airport, albeit arriving over two hours later than scheduled.

Expressing their gratitude, a passenger onboard praised the professionalism and swift response of both the airline crew and emergency personnel at Barcelona’s El Prat airport during the critical situation.

Commercial flight births are a rarity due to airline regulations that generally prohibit pregnant passengers who are 36 weeks and beyond from boarding. KLM adheres to similar pregnancy guidelines, discouraging pregnant passengers beyond 36 weeks from flying. Though medical clearance from doctors is recommended for expectant fliers, it is not a mandatory requirement before flying.

In the event of a mid-air birth, the cabin crew, trained in first aid, offers assistance, and will try to locate a physician or medically qualified individual to aid in the delivery. The nationality and citizenship of the baby born during the flight are determined by the country or airspace in which the birth occurred and the airline’s registration.

According to the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, an aircraft assumes the nationality of the state where it is registered, thus applying that country’s laws during the flight. Moreover, the United Nations’ 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness asserts that a birth on a ship or aircraft in international waters or airspace is treated as a birth in the country where the ship or aircraft is registered.

Furthermore, some airlines may offer special perks to babies born on their flights. In a previous incident in 2016, a woman gave birth on a Cebu Pacific flight from Dubai to Manila, prompting the airline to generously award the baby one million airline points for a lifetime, shareable among the baby’s family and without an expiration date.