A member of the United States military is recovering in a Limerick hospital after he suffered a fit on a flight that diverted to Shannon Airport.
The crew of the transatlantic passenger jet declared a medical emergency at around 12.30am today.
The Atlas Air Boeing 747-400 jet was travelling from a U.S. military air base at Ramstein in Germany to Baltimore in the United States at the time. There were 271 passengers and crew on board the flight which is understood to have been transporting U.S. military personnel.
The flight, using the callsign Giant 8119, was about 300 kilometres west of Co Mayo when the crew advised air traffic controllers here that they were declaring a medical emergency and wished to divert to Shannon. It’s understood the man in his 20s had suffered a fit on board.
The HSE’s National Ambulance Service was alerted and requested to mobilise resources to the airport.
The flight landed safely at 1.10am and was followed along the runway and accompanied to the terminal by airport fire crews.
The passenger was assessed at the airport by ambulance paramedics before being transported to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for treatment. It’s understood he was accompanied by a colleague.
The flight resumed its journey shortly after 4.00am.
