An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Portugal diverted to Shannon Airport this morning after the crew declared a medical emergency.
Aer Lingus flight EI-492 departed Dublin shortly before 8.00am bound for Faro. About 40 minutes later, when the Airbus A330-300 jet was about 250 kilometres south of Cork, the flight turned around and rerouted to Shannon.
The crew issued a Pan-pan radio call and confirmed to air traffic controllers that they had a passenger on board who required medical attention. A ‘Pan-pan’ indicates an ‘urgency’ on board but is not as serious as a ‘May-day’.
The flight was cleared to turn around and divert to Shannon Airport.
Meanwhile, authorities at the airport were notified of the unscheduled arrival while the National Ambulance Service was also requested to deploy resources to Shannon.
The flight landed safely at 9.12am and was met at the terminal by ambulance paramedics and airport staff. The passenger was transported to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
Flight 492 continued its journey to Faro at 10.45pm.
Of the almost 60 diversions to Shannon Airport so this year, 17 have been medical emergencies.
