Jet2 pilot suffers mid-air heart attack at 30,000ft, airman recalls horror: 'Lights started flashing...'

A Jet2 flight traveling from Tenerife to Birmingham made an emergency diversion to Portugal after one of the pilots reportedly suffered a suspected heart attack while the plane was flying at 30,000ft, Metro reports.

The incident occurred on flight LS1266 during the early hours of Friday, May 22. The plane, with about 220 passengers on board, suddenly changed course and descended towards Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport for an emergency landing.

The cabin crew requested medical assistance

Passengers on board described terrifying moments inside the cabin as crew members rushed down the aisle, calling for help from anyone with medical experience. According to reports, the plane was descending rapidly while the cabin lights were said to be flashing during the emergency maneuver.

“My partner and I were sleeping when the chaos woke us up,” a passenger told The Sun on Sunday. “The lights started flashing and the flight attendants, who were visibly upset, called for a doctor. Our two-year-old started crying, as did many of the other children on board, because the plane was descending so quickly for an emergency landing.”

The plane landed safely in Porto around 2:11 a.m. local time. Emergency personnel boarded immediately after landing and medics treated the pilot in the cockpit before taking him to hospital.

Passengers were kept waiting for hours

Passengers reportedly remained inside the plane for more than an hour before being allowed to disembark. They then spent nearly 13 hours at the airport terminal as the airline organized replacement crew.

Jet2 later flew another pilot from Manchester, after which passengers continued on to Birmingham on a separate aircraft.

“We were stuck in Portugal for more than 13 hours without accommodation. They didn’t let us off the plane alone for more than an hour,” said another passenger. “Then we just wandered around. There was nowhere to stay. They said the accommodation was too expensive.”

“The airline has told us that the pilot suffered a heart attack in the cockpit. Of course, our sympathies are with him.”

Jet2 says safety has never been compromised

In response to the incident, Jet2 said passenger safety was not affected at any stage and apologized for the lengthy disruption.

“Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham was diverted to Porto on Thursday (May 21) because one of the pilots was unwell,” the airline told The Sun. “At no point was safety compromised and customers subsequently continued their journeys. We would like to apologize to customers for this unforeseen delay.”