Air Europa flight makes emergency landing in Guyana after passenger falls sick

Last Updated on Monday, 22 April 2024, 21:18 by Writer

The Air Europa flight at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

An Air Europa passenger jet — en route from Lima, Peru to Madrid, Spain — made an emergency landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Monday afternoon because one of the passengers fell ill, officials confirmed.

“The aircraft declared a medical emergency on board and as such, an emergency landing was instituted. The airport’s ambulance was on standby to receive the passenger,” a CJIA spokeswoman told Demerara Waves Online News.

The woman, who is a Spaniard, was transported by Port Health Authority to the Diamond Hospital, East Bank Demerara. She was accompanied by a colleague doctor with whom she had travelled to Peru on a volunteer mission, sources said.

The Air Europa plane, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departed Lima and diverted to the CJIA where it landed at 3:45 PM local time.

After the sick doctor and colleague disembarked, the aircraft, with the remaining 332 passengers, departed at 5:26 PM for Spain.

Aviation industry experts said the plane most likely dumped thousands of gallons of fuel to achieve the desired weight for landing at the CJIA.