On May 8, 2025, a Ryanair (FR/RYR) flight made an unscheduled stop in Limoges (LIG) with an unexpected extra passenger. Flight FR4797, operating from Brussels Charleroi (CRL) to Castellón (CDT), diverted after a passenger gave birth to a baby girl at 18,000 feet. The Boeing 737-800 departed Brussels at 13:30 UTC and was cruising over central France when the medical emergency unfolded. The flight crew elected to divert, landing safely in Limoges at 12:35 UTC, where emergency services were waiting on arrival.
More babies are born on planes than you might think. In September 2021, a passenger from Morocco gave birth in the middle of a Turkish Airlines flight between Istanbul and Chicago. In July 2019, a baby was born on a flight between Doha and Beirut, which was diverted to Kuwait for emergency care. During the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, an Afghan evacuee gave birth on a C-17 military aircraft.
What happens when a baby is born on board?
In-flight births are events that cabin crew are trained to handle as part of their standard emergency procedures. When a passenger goes into labor, the crew follow a structured response protocol to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
The first step is situational assessment and communication. Cabin crew will check on the passenger’s condition and determine how imminent the birth is. If a birth seems likely before landing, the crew inform the flight deck, who may initiate a diversion to the nearest suitable airport with medical facilities.
To coordinate this effectively, airline crew use a structured format known as NITS, which stands for:
- Nature of the problem
- Intentions of the crew
- Time available
- Special instructions
This framework allows clear, concise communication between pilots and cabin crew during non-routine events like a mid-air birth. In this case, the “N” would be a passenger in labor, the “I” would be to divert, “T” might be estimated time to diversion point, and “S” could include preparing the cabin, and requesting special medical assistance upon landing.
If no medical professional is on board, the crew step in. They attempt to create a private area in the cabin, often in the rear galley, and use the aircraft’s emergency medical kit, gloves, and blankets. Crew will follow childbirth protocol to coach the mother, receive the baby, and cut the umbilical cord if needed. After birth, both mother and baby are monitored and kept warm and stable until the flight lands.
Once on the ground, paramedics take over, and a detailed report is filed by the flight and cabin crew.
Citizenship at 18,000 feet
There is a common misconception that babies born in flight are eligible for citizenship of the country the aircraft was overflying at the moment of their birth. Sadly, this is incredibly rare (though not unheard of).
In reality, the citizenship of babies born midair depends on several factors:
- Parents’ nationality: Many countries rely on jus sanguinis (“right of the blood”), meaning the baby typically inherits citizenship from one or both parents.
- Aircraft registration: All aircraft carry the nationality of the country in which they are registered. This nationality may be used to assign citizenship only if the baby would otherwise be stateless (if the principles of ‘jus soli’ or ‘jus sanguinis’ do not apply.
- Territorial airspace: Some countries may grant citizenship to anyone born in their territorial airspace or waters under jus soli (“right of the soil”).
So what if a baby is born over international waters, where no country’s airspace applies, and jus sanguinis isn’t a legal option for some reason? In that rare scenario, the nationality of the aircraft – determined by its country of registration – could become the deciding factor. However, in nearly all real-world cases, either jus sanguinis or jus soli will provide a clear path to citizenship.
Have you been on board a plane during a birth, or any other unusual emergency? Let us know in the comments.
Cover photo: Jan Hradsky, JetPhotos
