Andhra woman delivers baby on flight

A passenger of a Chennai-bound flight from Kuwait gave birth to a baby boy mid-air. Airport sources said that 37-year-old Radha Subramani from Andhra Pradesh went into labour one hour after take-off on Wednesday.

The baby, weighing around 3 kg, was born just before landing after crew members and a midwife on-board, helped with the delivery.

Radha was flying on-board Kuwait Airlines flight KU 343 that arrived at Chennai Airport as scheduled at 4.30 am.

“She was on complete rest for nearly two hours in the aircraft. Thereafter, she was carried on a stretcher around 6.30 am to Apollo Hospital Medical Centre in the airport complex for a complete medical checkup,” a senior airport official said. He said that after giving her first aid treatment, Radha was shifted to main Apollo Hospital by a special ambulance for further health checkup.

Apollo hospital sources said the woman was discharged after a thorough health checkup.

“Since the delivery was normal, mother and child are in good health. Therefore, we decided to discharge them after prescribing few medicines,” a senior doctor, who attended to the case, said. Airport sources said Radha, who was travelling alone from Kuwait, left for her native Cuddapah by a private cab. “All medical expenses were borne by the airline”, the official said.

In a similar incident, a 25-year-old woman, Sharitha, gave birth to a baby girl on board a suburban train in the city.

Railway sources said that the woman was going to Chengalpattu government hospital with her mother-in-law when she developed labour pain. She delivered the baby when the train reached Kattankulathur station.