Steep rise in emergency flight diversions

Air passengers refusing to declare their existing medical conditions are being held responsible for a high-rise in the number of emergencies happening mid-air. This has been leading to long delays as the aircraft is forced to land at alternative airports.

The statistics of the civil aviation authority (CAA) in UK suggest that last year in 2007, UK airlines had to make 58 such diversions due to medical emergencies. This figure has risen up by 26 per cent since last recorded in year 2003. The estimates suggest that the actual figure may in fact be much higher since several such incidents, including the ones where a pilot has to return to departure airport, aren’t reported.

The CAA is holding the ageing population, which now prefers to travel by air more frequently, significantly responsible for the steep rise in such emergencies. In its report, it states that a high number of such diversions are caused due to the non-declaration of medical condition by passengers who are not fit to fly.

Earlier in the month of March, a Virgin Atlantic flight en route from Granada to Gatwick had to be diverted to Azores as a man fell seriously sick on board. A fellow passenger David Green, from the Nottingham city states that the paramedics had to be called on board to take this man to hospital and all other passengers had to wait for extra two hours on the ground. Although the whole episode was handled very well by the crew, it eventually ended up causing a 5 1/2 hour delay.