A Ryanair flight from England to a Spanish holiday island diverted to Shannon early this morning after the crew declared a medical emergency.
Flight FR-6574 had departed from Liverpool at around 6.35am bound for Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. There were 190 passengers and crew on board
About 35 minutes after departure, as the flight was over the southwest of Ireland, the crew contacted air traffic controllers and requested clearance to divert to Shannon Airport.
The flight crew reported they had a male passenger on board who was on oxygen. The man in his 60s is understood to have suffered a respiratory issue. The crew requested that an ambulance be available for the flight on arrival.
The crew had confirmed they would be making an overweight landing so the airport’s fire and rescue service was placed on standby. This is standard procedure at Shannon if an aircraft has to make an overweight landing.
The flight landed at around 7.35am and taxied to the terminal where airport authorities and National Ambulance Service paramedics were standing by.
The passenger was assessed at the airport before being transported by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
The flight resumed its journey to Lanzarote at 8.50am.