A US-bound passenger flight diverted to Shannon Airport this morning the crew declared a medical emergency over the Atlantic.
Norse Atlantic Airways flight NO-503 was travelling from Athens, Greece to JFK International Airport in New York, US at the time.
The flight was about four hours into its journey and approximately 600 kilometres southwest of Ireland when the crew reported they had a medical emergency on board.
The Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner jet made a U-turn and originally planned to divert to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and had begun to route east towards the French coast. A short time later however the flight turned north after requesting clearance to divert to Shannon.
Air traffic controllers at Shannon notified airport authorities of the unscheduled arrival while the National Ambulance Service was also alerted and requested to mobilise resources to the airport.
The flight landed at 11.17am and was met at the terminal by ambulance paramedics.
The patient was assessed at the airport before being removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for further treatment.
The flight resumed its journey to New York shortly after 12.30pm.
Of the estimated 40 aircraft diversions to Shannon so far this year, around a quarter were medical emergencies.
With Ireland’s longest runway, Shannon is often the preferred diversionary airport for flights on the North Atlantic route the need to divert to an alternative airport.