Women giving birth on flights
 

I'm trying to find out how many women have gone into labour on flights bound for the UK over the last few years (with figures broken down per year). It's after this story http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/07/op...sion.html?_r=0 of a woman who give birth on a flight from Lagos to Atlanta. I'm a reporter at BBC News and am interested in finding out how often this happens. Does anyone know where any figures might be compiled or who might know? Thanks - Tom Bateman, Today Programme [email protected]

You could try the CAA. They have a form that should be filled out (CA 680) in the event of a birth onboard a UK registered aircraft. I expect that it is a very rare occurrence, as most airlines will not carry a female in the later stages of a pregnancy. My airline requires a "fit to fly" letter for weeks 28-34 of a pregnancy.

If an expectant mother were to go into labour, the baby would be premature. Time to get it on the ground.

Some women can get through the "visual appearance" filter at the check-in by the way they dress; we boarded a lady in full Arabian Gulf rig, on the heavy side perhaps, but then many women are.

10 minutes later, on route from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in a BAC 1-11 galley, she gave birth to a healthy, full-term baby. It was not her first by any means and she needed no help. She simply wanted to have it born in Abu Dhabi, for financial reasons, and the baby was a day ahead of its STA. This was before a road existed all the way; the taxi ride took about 4 hours on sabkha tracks and was a jolting experience.

(Gulf News headline next day; "GULF AVIATION, AN EARLY ARRIVAL AT LAST".)

I know your interest is in births on flights with a UK destination, but that tale shows one reason there are airborne births.