A red alert was issued last week after an easyJet co-pilot fainted while flying nearly 200 passengers from the UK to Portugal. The flight, EZY2459, departed from Luton airport in London and was approaching its destination in Lisbon when the co-pilot experienced a medical emergency. The captain, following established procedures, safely landed the aircraft at Lisbon airport, where paramedics met the co-pilot on the runway.
The red alert, a rare occurrence, was triggered to ensure the safety of both the crew and passengers. This alert mandates a halt in operations as a safety precaution. Passengers scheduled for the return flight to Luton faced a three-hour delay due to the incident.
An easyJet spokesperson stated that the flight landed routinely and passengers disembarked normally. The airline emphasized that the safety of the flight was never compromised. This incident comes on the heels of another recent event where a United Airlines flight was diverted after crew members began vomiting due to an onboard “biohazard.” Flight 2477 landed in Washington DC for a “deep clean” after a passenger became ill, triggering a chain reaction among fellow travelers and even the crew.
Cases of pilots becoming sick in mid-air have been reported previously. In October 2023, both the captain and co-pilot of a British Airways flight fell ill after reporting a ‘foul odour’ in the cockpit. These incidents highlight the importance of preparedness and protocols for dealing with medical emergencies during flights.
