A passenger jet was forced to make a u-turn over the Atlantic earlier today and divert to Shannon Airport after a passenger on board fell ill.
American Airlines flight AA-147 was travelling from Paris to Boston and was about 400 kilometres north west of Sligo when the crew declared a medical emergency and requested clearance to divert to Shannon.
There were 175 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 757-200 jet.
The crew was cleared to reroute to Shannon while they also confirmed to controllers that they would be landing ‘heavy’. This means that a plane lands with more weight than normal for a landing.
The pilot confirmed however that they would not need airport fire crews standby for their arrival.
The flight touched down safely at 1.55pm and taxied to the terminal where ambulance paramedics were standing by.
Medics quickly boarded the flight to assess the passenger who was later rushed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
An airline spokesman said: “American Airlines Flight 147, from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Boston Logan International Airport, diverted to Shannon Airport due to a medical emergency with a passenger.”
“We apologise for the inconvenience to our passengers and the disruption to their travel plans,” the airline said.
The flight was able to continue it’s journey once the crew had received a new flight plan and the passenger’s baggage had been removed from the aircraft in accordance with strict security procedures.