Was on a BA 747 a couple of years ago on this same routing when a passenger was taken ill, Captain advised we were diverting to Malta which was approx 21/2 hours flying time away, the captain fully explained the reasons we were going to Malta despite the length of time it would take to get there. Malta was not expecting a BA 747 in the middle of the night and refuelling took an age but the crew looked after us well whilst on the ground with plenty of refreshments. Crews are professional people and i fully believe they have our interests at heart and choose where to divert to based on the information and advise from on the ground even if it means taking a few hours to get there. Its all too easy from the comfort of our armchairs to criticise.